


On A Whim

by shadow_oblivion



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad Weather, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Law gets caught up in Straw Hat crew antics, Lots of fights, Minor Injuries, Occasional OOC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Serious Injuries, blackmailing, captures and rescues, different isalnds, gets more serious as the fic progresses, kaido's crew slightly different in this AU, kid law and luffy team up throughout fic, many alliances are made, quirky first half of fic, shipwrecked pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-09-22 17:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9618038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_oblivion/pseuds/shadow_oblivion
Summary: Law wasn't happy that his plans were being shot to hell because of Straw Hat's unpredictability, but did Law really have to be dragged along into the crew's madness? Bad weather, among other problems, seemed small compared to Kaido taking notice of them. Everything went spiraling out of control soon after that and there was no way to change the fact that they were all hurtling toward an inevitable future fight.





	1. Change of Plans

**Author's Note:**

> Original FFN A/N: Let's just say that I like to write to entertain people, and since Law is so serious, and his reactions around the Straw Hats so entertaining, I decided to torment Law some more by writing this fic. It's mainly Law watching the Straw Hats get into mischief, and then getting drawn into it against his will.
> 
> Ao3 A/N: I believe this was literally my first One Piece fanfic, and one of my favorites to work on now. So, I have decided to revise this a bit because I want to keep the first half of this fic light and quirky and ridiculous. I hadn't realized that this fanfic was going to get so long, so while there won't be much change, I may make some additions here and there to match later chapters (it will stray from where canon is at this point, but things will be tweaked here and there with information that has since been learned). 
> 
> Chapter 16 needs the most extensive fix, as it had been written before Corazon's identity had been revealed. I enjoyed the way the first chapter turned out to begin with, so I didn't change it too much, but you can probably tell I was still getting a feel of the characters at the time.
> 
> Other than that, I just wanted another no pairing fic to be up on this site, for those who don't care to read stories with pairings in them.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece. I'm just having fun writing.

Trafalgar Law was displeased. Things were not going at all the way he had envisioned…and it was all Straw Hat's fault.

The Thousand Sunny was anchored off a tiny island for an unexpected stop. Law's protests went unheard as a number of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy included, went ashore.

Law shook his head, and, weapon in hand, leapt off the ship to the dock. He was going to have to at least make sure that Luffy and the others didn't draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. The Heart Pirate hadn't bargained for this sudden detour, though he supposed the ship would need to be stocked at some point. He just didn't know why they had to do it now, when they were on such a tight schedule. Any delays could jeopardize their mission.

Law stopped mid-step, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he spotted a gang of pirates blocking the Straw Hat's path. Law almost felt sorry for them as Luffy went barreling forward, showing absolutely no sign of stopping.

Law was at a complete loss. The look of resignation on the Heart Pirate's face could only begin to describe how his alliance with the Straw Hats was affecting him mentally. Law's carefully thought out plans were rapidly falling to pieces around him through the utter recklessness of the Straw Hat crew.

Law watched in horrified fascination as Luffy made an incredibly loud nuisance of himself as he plowed through the low rung pirates like they weren't even there. Even as far back as Law was, he could hear Straw Hat yelling at the top of his lungs loud and clear.

"Meat! Where's the meat?!"

The rest of the crew followed after their captain, as Zoro and Sanji took care of any of the pirates who had managed to remain upright. It was quite a pitiful sight.

Law soon all alone, speechless with what he had just witnessed. The Heart Pirate decided that there had to be something seriously wrong with all of the Straw Hats, and he really didn't want whatever it was rubbing off on him.

"Hey, you! You're friends with that Straw Hat guy, aren't you?"

And there went one reason why Law did not want to make a detour. Complications with local pirates who thought they were big shots.

Law half turned, unsurprised that the previously bowled over pirates were now surrounding him. Law could tell that they were trying their best to appear intimidating despite their now ragged appearance. Law stared at the speaker, not inclined to speak, as he was more concerned with the racket Luffy was making. The Heart Pirate hadn't thought that restocking the ship would be such a noisy production.

The pirate who had spoken, the captain of the group, puffed up indignantly at the blank stare Law was giving him. The pirate decided that the expression was one of fear and the reason that Law wasn't responding was because he was afraid. This bolstered the pirate captain's confidence, "Well, I'm not hearin' any denial. Isn't that right boys?" The gathered pirates let out shouts of agreement, and the pirate captain grinned crookedly, "I hope you're ready for the consequences of messin' with me and my crew. We'll add in extra punishment for your friends that ran off."

And there was yet another reason why Law didn't want the Straw Hat Pirates to act without thinking things through. Now he had angry small fries to deal with.

Law's gaze swept the circle of pirates, unimpressed with the gathering. Just from a mere glance, he could tell that none of them were a threat. Weapons were being drawn by now, and Law let out a light sigh. The trouble he was getting into while around the Straw Hat crew...If he wasn't careful, he would get caught up in their hectic pace as well.

Law lifted his left hand and uttered, "Room." A thin dome appeared all around the pirates, enclosing them inside the circle it made, and subsequently opening them up to Law's manipulations. He would finish this quickly, and catch up with the Straw Hats. He needed to ensure that they weren't doing anything else to draw attention to themselves.

Murmurs went throughout the gathered pirates, some of them lowering their weapons as they looked in puzzlement at the thin dome that surrounded them. A few of the smarter ones realized just who they were harassing, and how stupid it was of them to do so.

Law twisted a few fingers in the direction of the pirates directly before him, "Shambles." As soon as he heard exclamations of surprise, he turned around and drew his nodachi. Law swung the blade several times at the other half of the gathered pirates, slicing them into pieces in mere moments. Law twisted his fingers again, and the body parts moved, piecing together in different ways and causing even more confusion amongst the pirates.

Law sheathed Kikoku with a clink of metal, and rested it against his shoulder. Satisfied that he had dealt with the minor threat, Law decided to make one thing very clear. His eyes bored into the cowering pirates as he grated out, "I am _not_ their friend." Law just happened to have an alliance with them that he thought would be convenient. He hadn't expected the craziness that had come with that decision.

There was no response to his terse words.

Law strolled off, unchallenged. A look of consternation passed over the Heart Pirate's face. Law wondered, not for the first time, why in the world he had thought that an alliance with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat crew had been a good idea. The potential benefit outweighed the bad for the time being, so he chose not to think about it. Law headed down the street that held food and supply shops, and when he didn't see any of the Straw Hats, went on to the next place he could think of. A tavern.

Law went into the loudest tavern, and stood just inside the building. He took in the scene, immediately disturbed by the sight. The noisy, jolly crowd grated on his nerves. Law spotted the Straw Hats, and instantly about faced like he had just witnessed a murder. He was leaving, and leaving now, while his sanity was still intact.

That was when it happened.

Law felt someone grip his shoulder and because it prevented his departure, Law's hand difted up to the hilt of his nodachi. Almost immediately, he realized that it was Luffy. The other's arm was obviously stretched out, and that was what was preventing him from fleeing the noisy gathering. What did Straw Hat think he was doing?

Law kept his eyes on the entrance to the tavern, because he wanted nothing more than to remove himself from the situation, "I should go and make sure that those pirates don't go telling others that they've seen us. We're trying to keep a low profile." Law would have tried to say more, but knew that Luffy would have none of his excuses, especially once the other had decided on something. That something right now being the prevention of Law leaving, even though it was obvious he didn't want to be there.

At all.

Of course, the Heart Pirate's feelings on the matter were not consulted, and would have been completely ignored in any case. It just didn't seem fair that Law had to be subjected to Straw Hat's whims.

Law heard Luffy laugh, and he had no idea whether it was at his words or just because Straw Hat was in a good mood. The next thing Law knew, Luffy's grip tightened, and Law was suddenly flying through the air, propelled by a powerful tug. Law's impromptu flight ended abruptly as he landed across what felt like another person. Orienting himself, Law glanced up and realized that he had ended up across Robin's lap.

Robin glanced up from her book and offered a thin smile at the sight of the Heart Pirate's utterly floored expression. "Nice of you to join us."

Sanji appeared out of nowhere, livid, "Hey! Get off of Robin's lap, you bastard!" The blond's demeanor abruptly changed as he sighed longingly, "Ah, Robin's lap would be so wonderful to lie on."

Law wordlessly slid away from both Robin and Sanji, not interested in getting into a senseless argument and/or fight with the Straw Hat's cook. At least it seemed that Sanji had forgotten about him as the blond tried to get on Robin's lap. The Heart Pirate watched as Robin pushed her chair backward, and Sanji missed his mark, causing him to crash to the ground roughly. He didn't seem to be too put out by this setback. Law blinked and backed away some more. The cook had the weirdest obsession with women Law had ever seen.

Law slumped down onto the nearest empty chair against the wall, his mood not improved as the noise around him came back into focus. The seat he had chosen ended up giving him a front row seat to the chaos. Law eyed all the Staw Hats suspiciously, wondering if this was some new scheme of theirs to make use of their alliance. From the looks of things, however, it was more than likely they were just having a good time.

Law scanned the rest of the crowd. There were a few people giving the Straw Hat crew perplexed looks. A few were even laughing at their antics. Law stiffened as spotted a few marines that were seated at a table on the far end of the tavern. They hadn't yet bothered to see what all the fuss was, because no damage was being done. Yet. Law let out a sigh. Good. It would be just his luck if Straw Hat and the others attracted the attention of the marines. It would be an unneeded complication.

Law turned his attention to Luffy, who was nearest to him, and muttered, in a low and urgent tone, "Why are you all making such a racket? You're going to get us spotted before the time is right!"

Luffy took a bite out of the meat in front of him, not as concerned about cover as the Heart Pirate was. He offered a grin to the startled Law, "It'll be fine. If we're spotted we can just knock them out, right?"

Law watched, speechless, as Luffy went back to the meat with gusto. Law couldn't believe how carefree Straw Hat was. Knocking people out wouldn't prevent them from passing on information once they were conscious again. The Heart Pirate observed the marines warily, but they were still unaware of their presence. Law eyed a nearby bottle of wine on the table next to him. What the hell, why not? It didn't seem like he was going to be leaving the tavern any time soon. Law reached out, glaring back at Zoro as he grabbed a bottle of alcohol off the table between them.

His plans temporarily changed, Law took a sip of the wine. He figured that his plans were already going to hell at this rate. A little alcohol wouldn't hurt. Besides, with the way things were going, Doflamingo wasn't even going to have a chance to kill him, if it came to that. The Straw Hat Pirates might beat the other warlord to it with their recklessness and utter disregard for any definitive plan. More importantly, if Law was going to have to bear witness to the people he made an alliance with make fools of themselves, he wasn't going to be entirely sober. He would never survive the madness with his sanity intact otherwise.

"Oh? Are you going to have a drinking contest?"

Law glanced to the side. Sanji had wandered over to the table between himself and Zoro, and seemed to be expecting a response. The Heart Pirate gave Sanji a perplexed look. Why would he participate in such a thing? Being drunk would just be asking for trouble. He'd only planned on getting a little buzzed.

After seeing the look thrown his way by Law, Sanji answered his own question, "I didn't think so." Sanji began to heckle the green haired swordsman instead, "You're just going to share the booze, moss head? That's a surprise."

Zoro was not in the mood to rise to the bait. There was plenty to drink anyway, "Go away, you shitty cook."

Sanji glanced between the two, an idea forming in his mind of how to get more time with Nami and Robin. An idea that involved the majority of the tavern's patron's attention being diverted to the two before him. Sanji gave Zoro a belittling smile, "I bet the Heart Pirate here can drink you under the table and take the rest of the booze from you."

Law was about to protest the claim, when nearby patrons, overhearing Sanji's words, suddenly began to pile bottles of alcohol on the table, excited at the prospect of having a drinking contest take place. Even Luffy began banging on the table and chanting along with the other patrons, "Drink! Drink! Drink!"

Nami rolled her eyes at the level of immaturity going on around her, focused on something far more important. Money. Nami figured she could make quite a good amount from the drunks in the tavern. A drinking contest didn't seem like all that bad of an idea now. It might even be profitable. A warlord of the sea vs a skilled swordsman. The drunks would be throwing cash her way. Nami's eyes took on a terrifying gleam.

Law had recovered by the time more alcohol appeared on the table, and he began to rise. This was not something he was willing to do for an alliance. It was a complete waste of time, and it was below him to participate in such a…

"Are you running, Surgeon of Death? Afraid to lose?"

Law paused, locking eyes with Zoro, "I am not taking part in this. It has nothing to do with our shared goal, and it would take away time that could be used more efficiently..."

Zoro took another drink from his oversized mug, a faint smile dancing across his face at the sight of Law clenching his teeth, "A pirate, backing down from a challenge?"

Law gritted his teeth. He refused to give in to this. It was utterly pointless, and he didn't agree to an alliance with these people only to play stupid games that had nothing to do with...

Law gasped as someone shoved him back down and forced a mug into his hand. Law looked up sharply, and nearly came face to face with Nami, who was beaming at him, albeit in a scary way.

"It won't take that long." Nami lowered her voice, "And I can make good money from the betting pool."

"Betting pool?" Law was being thrown for a loop, and after more heckling and pressure from the crowd and the Straw Hat crew, (Usopp, Brook and Chopper, who had also gone along, had joined in) Law finally broke down and gave in. He downed the mug, drawing a look of amusement from Zoro. Law placidly grabbed a wine bottle and eyed Zoro challengingly. He wasn't going to take this lying down. He was going to have some choice words with Luffy and the others after this. He wasn't doing this for fun.

Not. At. All.

A half hour and four drinks later…

Law was ready to call it quits. The alcohol was quite strong, and his head was already swimming. Zoro was still calmly drinking, apparently not yet affected by the amount he had consumed.  Law made as if to rise, when he found himself unable to. Law blinked down at his waist, and saw two arms encircling it, preventing him from leaving. Where had those come from? Dazedly, Law looked around for a few seconds before he spotted Robin nearby, her arms crossed with the book she had been reading earlier on the table before her.

A hand jostled Law's shoulder, which made his head throb painfully in response. Law tilted his head woozily, and saw that Nami was standing at his side.

Nami let go of the Heart Pirate's shoulder, and cracked her knuckles, smiling unsympathetically, "Keep drinking. These people aren't dishing out their money only to have one of the contestants back out." Nami swatted the back of Law's head as she finished with a threatening hiss, "I _am_ going to make a profit from this, so do your part and don't you dare stop until you're finished!"

Law leaned away as he swayed dangerously in his seat, and only remained there thanks to the arms Robin had wrapped around him. The navigator could be quite terrifying, in her own way. Had he not been drunk, he may have taken issue with the way he, a captain, was being treated. The Heart Pirate stared at the freshly poured mug before him with trepidation. He couldn't remember the last time he had ended up drunk, but it most certainly hadn't been forced upon him like this. Law felt the mug pushed into his grasp, and he stared at it as if it were magical and had gotten there on its own.

Trafalgar Law would be a little grateful for the fuzziness the alcohol provided to his mind, because it limited his memory of the event. Otherwise, the Heart Pirate would have been tempted to murder everyone as soon as he was sober.

Two hours later…

"And then, he went…went on a'head, all confident and stuff, ignoring the...the plan..." Law slurred, leaning heavily against Zoro for support as he waved his mug in the air, morosely telling the swordsman his woes. He felt he must be drunk to be in another person's space, but then again, he wasn't thinking clearly and forgot why he didn't want people so close to his person.  "The plan."  Law emphasized, making sure he was getting his point across.  Whatever it was.

"Don't worry about it."  Zoro patted the Heart Pirate's shoulder sympathetically, even as he used Law similarly to keep himself upright as he slurred back, "The captain always does what he wants. You get used to his whims after a while."

Law sagged against Zoro, blinking blearily as he tried to force his fuzzy mind to work, "What were we talking about before?"

Zoro drained the remainder of his mug in one gulp, frowning, "I don't remember. Something 'bout whales…" Zoro watched with vague interest as Law slid off his shoulder and collapsed to the ground.

Law was confused as to why he was suddenly on the ground when he hadn't been before. His vision was making him nauseous, so he closed his eyes, struggling in vain to remain awake as he mumbled, "Whales? Wasnit about Do…Doflamin…go?"

Zoro settled on the ground nearby, unable to remain standing without the other's assistance. He eyed the mug still clutched in one of Law's hands, "You gonna finish that?"

"Make it stop."  Law mumbled. His head was spinning as he quietly muttered, "Make the noise stop. Too loud. Gonna be heard."

Zoro inched closer to the Heart Pirate in an attempt to understand what the other was saying, "What?" Zoro ended up face down on the ground next to Law with a grunt, but figured it didn't matter, since he could make out Law's drunken murmurs now.

"Gonna be found…marines make a ruckus…Dofl…flamingo finds out our...our plan…" Law opened his eyes briefly as he reached out and grasped a handful of Zoro's clothes with his free hand, "Get killed, if they find us…here…" A peculiar expression crossed Law's face, and any concerns he had fled as something suddenly became much more important. He shook Zoro lightly, miraculously keeping the mug in his other hand from spilling, "Why are the damn whales making so much noise?!"

Zoro watched as Law lost his grip on him and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Zoro waited until he heard soft snoring, before he pushed himself up a bit and snaked a hand over Law's back to get to the mug that still hadn't spilled. Zoro drank it, propped up on one elbow as he muttered to the unconscious man next to him, "I'll deal with the whales. Just don't let the booze go to waste..."

After another few drinks, Zoro ended up falling asleep alongside the Heart Pirate, snoring uproariously. Both of them were deaf to the cheering patrons, who were amazed at the amount of alcohol consumed between the two.

-x-

Law's head ached terribly when he finally woke up with. Law doubled over with a small groan, wondering just how much alcohol he had consumed to completely knock him out. His memory was hazy. Law ran a hand through his hair, his hat missing. The last thing he remembered was entering a tavern to make sure that the Straw Hat Pirates weren't blowing their cover. After that, it was foggy. Obviously it had involved alcohol, as Law felt absolutely wretched due to the massive hangover he was currently sporting. What in the hell had happened?

"Ah! Traffy's awake!"

Law winced at Luffy's ridiculously loud voice, and groaned again, this time a little louder. Taking a deep breath, the dark haired Heart Pirate raised his head. Law immediately regretted it as the sunlight stabbed him in the eyes, sending him back to the ground in fetal position. Why was it so bright out? Just how long had he been out? Law made a noncommittal sound when someone poked him in the shoulder. Probably Straw Hat.

"Hey, don't go back to sleep. We need to get to the ship." Zoro showed no sign of having a hangover.

"That coming from you? You were dead asleep a minute ago, you useless swordsman!" Sanji was still disappointed that he had been unable to spend time the previous night with either Nami or Robin.

Luffy laughed, finding the situation entertaining, "You guys are funny!"

Law tilted his head to stare at a laughing Luffy, irritated, as it was obvious that the other captain had never been drunk in his entire life. Otherwise Straw Hat would have perhaps tried to be a bit quieter. Law's eyes narrowed at the hand that Luffy was slowly inching toward his shoulder, no doubt to shake him in what he thought would be a helpful way.

"Leave him alone for now, Luffy. He's going to need a bit of time to recover. He did drink quite a lot."

Law turned his gaze in the direction the voice had come from. It was the navigator's, and Law noted that she was perched on a table, counting a large pile of money. She looked extremely pleased with herself, and smiled at the Heart Pirate when she noticed his eyes were on her.

Nami waved a handful of cash, grinning happily, "You and Zoro sure came in close with the bets. I'm glad it all worked out."

Law blinked as bits of his fuzzy memory from the previous night slowly began to piece themselves together. Money. Bets. Alcohol. The green haired swordsman. The navigator taking bets. Loud cheering. Then it all came rushing back to him, and the horror of what he had done the previous night hit Law harder than the alcohol had.

The Heart Pirate's horrified expression must have been unexpected, because Luffy tilted his head, looking concerned, "What's wrong Traffy? You gonna be sick?"

No. No no no no no. Law had let the Straw Hat crew successfully distract him. He hadn't escaped from their madness. No, he had _participated_ in it, and now had a hangover as a result. Law stumbled to his feet to go retch in a nearby restroom of the tavern, not caring if it ruined his image. He had other things on his mind.

When he emerged, Law wordlessly accepted his nodachifrom Zoro. A silent understanding seemed to pass between the two. Law was teetering on the edge, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Words seemed to be useless when dealing with Luffy, so maybe a brief scuffle would get things through to the other. It may not be the smartest idea, but with his hangover muddling his senses, it was all Law could think to do.  Law retrieved his hat from Robin, and stumbled a little as he settled it back on his head.  Before Law could decide on a course of action to take, the tavern doors burst open, and the mismatched and switched members of the pirate gang from the day before piled in, livid and out for blood.

"Damn you, Surgeon of Death!"

"Change us back!"

"Trafalgar Law!"

A crazed gleam appeared in Law's eyes as he kept himself upright by using Kikoku as a makeshift crutch. His head was pounding, and it was hard trying to make a rational decision when people were making so much damn noise. He could solve that by stopping it himself. Law lifted his gaze to the pirates, a crazed smirk crossing his features.

Zoro held out a hand to prevent Luffy from joining in on the fun, "Don't. Let him handle it."

Luffy produced a hunk of meat, "Okay."

Nami hastily began stuffing money into a bag, sensing a rather nasty fight in the making.

Law's crazed smile would have been enough to defeat the pirate gang, but he wouldn't have that. He needed to work out his pent up frustration now. Law raised his left hand.

"Room."

-x-

Law was back on the Thousand Sunny with the rest of the Straw Hats, by himself and currently in shock. He couldn't believe he had done that. Law could still hear the screams. Why had he gone that far? That pirate gang had been so far beneath him that he needn't have even bothered with them. They would have been easily scattered if he had just glared at them.  Law clutched his sword close to his chest, growing more horrified by the minute. He was acting like one of _them_. He'd tried so hard to not get swept up in the Straw Hat's hectic, manic pace, but it seemed to have caught up to him anyway. Where had he gone wrong?

"I can't stay with them for much longer like this. I'm going to go insane…"

Later…

The Straw Hat Pirates found Law in a dark corner of the ship, a curled up visage of misery. He was muttering under his breath, apparently so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice those that gathered around him.

Luffy poked the prone Law, and after getting no response, looked up at the rest of his crew, specifically Chopper, "What's wrong with him?"

"I think you broke him." Zoro commented as he closed his eye and leaned against a nearby wall, a smile crossing his features.

"Eh?! How?!" Luffy seized Law by the front of his sweater, lifting the other man partially into the air as he shook him frantically, "Don't die, Traffy! We'll fix you! I'll give you meat!"

Law, being jostled back and forth, took the sudden shaking stoically. He didn't know whether he wanted to die or just run far away, as fast as he could. Not that either would do him any good around these people. The shaking was beginning to hurt his head and a headache was beginning to form, so running it was. Law freed himself from Luffy's frantic attempts to help him, and ran. Moments later, he was pursued by the Straw Hats with Luffy in the lead.

"He's sick! That's what's wrong! Chopper, fix him!"

Law dodged Luffy's stretched out lunge, before he had to face the more attack-like attempts from the rest of the crew.

Sanji swung a leg at the Heart Pirate, "Where are you going?"

Law ducked beneath the savage kick, before he leapt into the air as the cook went for a low sweep. Law narrowly avoided being tripped as he hit the deck running. The Heart Pirate went into a low roll to dodge a seed, and subsequently questing vines, that Usopp slung at him, and twisted to the side as he lunged to his feet once more. Law half drew his nodachi in time to block a lunge from Brook's blade. Law parried a few more thrusts, before he managed to get past Brook, heading across the ship deck.

"He's headed your way Franky. I see him!" Brook stopped his pursuit of the other pirate captain as realization struck home, "Only I don't have eyes to see with! Yohohoho!"

Law found the skeleton to be quite disturbing, but put it from his mind as he dropped flat to the deck in order to avoid being hit with the shipwright's fist. The "Super!" Franky shouted grated on Law's nerves, but he wasn't willing to actually get into a fight at this time. Law headed higher up onto the deck, placing some distance between himself and the crew members he'd already avoided.

Law's eyes narrowed as he sensed someone headed his way, and acted swiftly. Law spun about, his expression grim as he completely drew his nodachi from its sheathe in time to block a downward slash from Zoro.

Law's jaw set as he worked hard to bring his blade up in time to parry each of Zoro's thrusts and slashes. Law knew the other man wasn't serious about the sudden fight, as he only had one weapon drawn. Law's eyes widened as Zoro drew a second katana, and the Heart Pirate cursed, twisting his blade up to block the double downward slash. Straining against the blades, Law raised his eyes to meet Zoro's, only to be completely dumbfounded when he saw that the swordsman grinning.

"Feeling any better?"

Law blinked in surprise, gasping as Zoro back stepped away. The reason behind the action became apparent when Luffy came flying through the air out of the blue, wrapping his arms about Law's middle and shouting triumphantly.

"Chopper! I got him!"

Law lowered his blade, his face blank as he glanced down at Luffy and the sight of Straw Hat clinging to him with a determined expression. Sighing, Law sheathed Kikoku and spoke tersely, "I am fine. Besides…" Law rested the sheathed blade against his shoulder, "I am a doctor. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Zoro!" Luffy let go of Law as he grinned cheekily at his green haired crewmate, "You fixed him!"

Law drifted away from the chattering Straw Hat Pirates, and shook his head as he stared out at the sea. He was trying very hard not to smile at the absurdity of the whole situation. Though they may not have outright stated it, the sudden flurry of attacks had been the Straw Hat crew's own peculiar way of trying to cheer him up in the face of another of Luffy's random whims. Law ended up losing the battle to keep a straight face as he smiled wryly.

No matter how much Law wanted to escape their carefree pace, he was slowly finding himself falling into it. It made the Heart Pirate think that the Straw Hat's unpredictability would be an asset after all, should they have to move against Doflamingo directly. If things worked out how he thought they would, then losing a little of his sanity wasn't such a bad thing.

There was only one thing left to do.

Law turned and drew his nodachi once more, instantly gaining the other's attention. He was going to have that talk after all, because Law was bound and determined to do anything to shorten the number of unnecessary side trips. The Heart Pirate lifted his left hand, and as he did, another faint smile lit his features. Trafalgar Law was going to enjoy this. He _would_ have some say in the alliance, as he had been the one who had suggested it in the first place. The word he uttered to the Straw Hat Pirates before him was laced with vindictive pleasure.

"Room."


	2. Three Captains

Law raised his hand to his weapon's hilt. There had to be something wrong with him. There was no other explanation for the Heart Pirate's reactions as of late. There was no way he would have ever have started something with the Straw Hat Pirates if he were thinking clearly. However, with the thin dome he had just engulfed part of the deck of Straw Hat's ship, there was no going back now. Law was going to have to follow through, even if he had to get battered around in the process to make his opinions heard.

"What's up, Traffy?"

Law ignroed Straw Hat's query as he carefully noted that all of the Straw Hats were clustered together.  If they wanted to, they could quite easily gang up on him, which made Law feel that he should have thought this through more carefully. Law leaned to one side to avoid a punch from the shipwright, and clamped a hand around Kikoku's hilt. If he could just cause some confusion, perhaps he could get a word in. What the Heart Pirate didn't realize was that the brawl he had begun was to be pathetically short.

Law locked eyes with the green haired swordsman, who had been up leaning up against a wall of the ship. Out of all the Straw Hats, Law believed that he needed to deal with him first.  It was partially due to the fact that Zoro was dashing toward him with one katana drawn, and was closing the distance between them at a rapid pace. The Heart Pirate set his jaw as he was forced to use his sheathed blade to block the attack.

Zoro increased the pressure of his blade against the Heart Pirate's, and it seemed as if he didn't particularly care for the reason why Law was acting this way. Zoro had been trying to take a short nap, and Law was being unusually loud. It wasn't Zoro's fault that Law hadn't learned to take the madness of the ship in stride. It really wasn't that big of a deal once one got used to it.

Law strained against the swordsman's blade, trying to free one of his hands to swap the green haired swordsman and the cook's personalities. He figured that it would buy him some time, as he'd seen the two men argue with one another before. Law freed his left hand, and twitched his fingers, opening his mouth to speak, "Sham…!" Law let out a gasp of surprise as a hand was suddenly clamped over his mouth, effectively silencing him. That wouldn't have been an issue, if more hands hadn't appeared, which restrained his arm and the hand that was holding the nodachi, another few hands preventing him from moving his other arm. Law struggled to free himself, and in turn draw his blade, but the arms held fast, and he was unable to move.

Zoro stepped back as he glanced over his shoulder at Luffy, who had been nearby, watching, "What should we do with him?" Zoro slipped his katana back into its sheathe automatically, as it didn't seem he would need to use it, because Robin had added a few more arms to prevent the Heart Pirate from moving his legs either.

Law bristled at the swordsman's words, displeased at being treated in such a way. He fought against the sudden fleshy restraints uselessly, and made several muffled sounds of protest. Law's eyes caught Nico Robin's, but the woman wasn't looking at him as she stood there with her arms crossed. Law scowled. This was humiliating to be restrained in such a way and even more so when his well-being was being questioned without him able to say a word in his defense.

"He probably isn't feeling well from his hangover." Chopper piped up. "Maybe he needs to rest some more?"

"You wanna sleep Traffy?"

Zoro turned his attention to Robin, "You'll have to let him talk." Zoro dropped his hand rest atop his weapons, "I can deal with him if he tries anything."

Law clenched the hand that wasn't holding his sword into a fist, displeased with the other's confidence and ability to deal with him. The Heart Pirate felt as Robin let one appendage vanish, letting him try and explain his sudden actions. Law was aware that the room he created was still up, and sapping his stamina, but he wasn't about to try anything further when he was restrained and had his movement hampered.  Law knew he could swap positions quite easily with his powers, but using more stamina was something to be avoided for now. Law didn't like the way that Zoro was all but daring him to start something with him, from the way the green haired man's hand was now wrapped around one of the katana's hilts, ready to draw in a blink of an eye.

Law's desire for a fight went as quickly as it had come. The Straw Hat Pirates were so exhausting to deal with. He'd have to try some other way to voice his opinion on how this alliance was progressing. The Heart Pirate noted Luffy's expectant expression, before he sighed and answered the other's question, "Maybe."

Luffy grinned at the terse response, swinging his legs from where he was sitting. The other pirate captain was so funny the way he acted so seriously. "Hey, Robin, let him go. He's probably just hungry."

Sanji shook his head, his hands in his pockets, "Are you sure you're not the one who's hungry?"

Luffy considered the question, before he brightened, "Yeah, I am. When are we gonna eat?"

Sanji gave his captain a disbelieving look, "We just had a meal an hour ago! How can you still want to eat more?!"

"But I am hungry…" Luffy moaned as he flopped down where he had been sitting.

Zoro laughed as Sanji gave in rather quickly and let a beaming Luffy follow him into the kitchen for a snack.

Law couldn't believe that Straw Hat would act this way, when in a fight, if he was serious, Luffy wouldn't hold back. And why were his crewmates giving him what he wanted? It didn't make any sense. The Heart Pirate had momentarily forgotten that Luffy had told Robin to let go of him, so Law was caught unaware as Robin suddenly released him from her hold. Law stumbled back from the loss of restriction, and the momentum made him fall back several feet across the deck, where the back of his head came roughly into contact with the nearby mast.

The Heart Pirate dropped to the deck like a stone amidst a few surprised exclamations from a few of the Straw Hats, his nodachi falling out of his limp grasp. As soon as Law lost consciousness, the room he had created vanished.

A sudden forced seep, however, was a mercy because Law didn't want to admit to being knocked out in such a humiliating way.

-x-

It was several hours before Law came to, and when he did, he sat up slowly and took stock of his surroundings. Law noted that he had been confined to a cabin, and supposed he should be grateful for the complete and utter silence he was met with. The Heart Pirate could have easily let himself out, as the Straw Hat Pirates had done nothing to lock him inside the cabin, or bother to suppress his powers. Not that Law would have used them at the moment anyway. He was far too exhausted and his head ached from where he'd hit it.  Or perhaps it was the vestiges from the hangover he'd been sporting. The quiet allowed Law to think about things rationally, and why he had done what he did. He didn't have a good prognosis for himself. The Heart Pirate captain was beginning to question his sanity more and more as he wondered just why he'd thought it had been a good idea to start a fight with all of the Straw Hats.

Law rested the side of his head against the wall of the cabin. His efforts to get a word in about the alliance had ended in failure. The dark haired pirate scowled at the memory of the recent scuffle, as he reached over his shoulder and touched the back of his head gingerly. At least the skin hadn't broken, so the most he would suffer from was bruised skin and a slight bump for a day or so. Law dropped his hand with a frown. The humiliation of being knocked unconscious would linger longer. Law ran his hands over his face as he rubbed his closed eyelids with the heels of his hands.

He couldn't do this anymore.

The Heart Pirate silently lifted his head and looked around the cabin bleakly. He wondered if there was anything there that he could possibly use to help himself out of this madness. Law knew his crew was too far off to help him, as he had made sure they would be, in case everything went up in flames, and Doflamingo, and perhaps Kaido, would be out for his blood. Law's eyes fell on a transponder snail that was snoozing on the table nearest to where he was huddled.

The Heart Pirate really didn't want to, but he was beginning to become desperate. He wanted things to move along more quickly, but Straw Hat seemed content to move at his own pace. If Law could just get some nobody to pick up on a distress signal, the he would be in the position to urge the Straw Hats to get a move on to avoid detection. It would be easy enough to take care of some nobodies if they tried to attack them. Law got to his feet and went over to the transponder snail. He would have to do this now, because he had no idea when the Straw Hat Pirates would come to check up on him.

Trafalgar Law was not at all prepared for who answered his distress call, and as soon as he heard whose voice it was on the other end, the Heart Pirate wondered if it was worth it to attract the attention of someone he didn't have much desire to see at the moment. Especially with the state he was in.

The only consolation was that Law wouldn't be the only one to be subjected to the Straw Hat's whims. He was about to get some company to join him in his misery.

-x-

Eustass Kidd was bored, and that translated into to him being dangerous to anyone or anything that could potentially set off his temper. Kidd scanned the sea, and seeing nothing but more sea, scowled darkly. There was nothing to do in the immediate vicinity, and he had the urge to destroy something. Preferably more of Big Mom's ships, or something that was even more of a challenge. Long stretches of inactivity could be a bitch, and Kidd didn't like the calm and peace one bit. Kidd's attention was drawn to the side, as he spotted Killer walking toward him, and he crossed his arms, eyeing the other pirate, "What is it?"

Killer gestured in the direction of the cabins, "There's a transponder snail giving off a distress signal."

"There ain't any islands in sight." Kidd uncrossed his arms, "Why the hell are you telling me this? Why don't you or someone else go get it?" Why bother him with something like that? It was hardly worth his attention, since it was probably just some loser who had gotten caught in a freak storm in the new world, and found they couldn't handle it.

"It could be a fake, Kidd. A setup by the marines." Killer's face was hidden, per usual, and the red haired captain couldn't quite pick up on the other's tone.

Kidd brushed off trying to interpret his crewmate's mood, and let out a short laugh as he brushed past Killer on the way to the cabin, "So what if it is?" Kidd flexed his mechanical left arm as he added, "If it _is_ the navy, they'd be stupid to attack us. I can destroy most of those bastards in no time at all now. They're useless."

"But you're going to go answer the call anyway, even if it's a setup?"

"I'm bored." Kidd said shortly in response as he shouldered open the cabin door.

Inside the cabin, Kidd located the transponder snail easily enough, the annoying creature sobbing its head off to let the listener know that it was a distress signal. Kidd frowned at it. He needed to find something to do. Boredom was the worst. Kidd could sense that his crew was partially avoiding him, if only because they didn't know when he was going to flip his lid. If he'd been in the act of destroying something more recently, they were less likely to step lightly around him, because he'd have been in a more or less good mood.

Kidd picked up the call, if only to stop the useless thing on the table from sobbing. Kidd snarled into the receiver, "Who the hell are you asshole? I'm not in a good mood right now, so if you want to die, speak up!" There was no response for a few moments, but when there was, it was a voice Kidd hadn't heard for some time, and the voice was not happy in the least bit.

_'Eustass-ya?'_

Kidd stared at the snail on the table, a nasty grin spreading across his face as he locked onto the fact that the voice belonged to Trafalgar Law. He'd wondered where that skinny son of a bitch had gotten to when Caesar Clown had failed to kill him and the others. Kidd's grin stretched further, because if Law was sending out a distress signal, it was likely because he was still with the Straw Hats, and Kidd found that funny as hell. Kidd cut Law off when the red head heard the other begin to speak, "Hey, Trafalgar, haven't heard from you in a while. Got bored of being a government dog and tossed in with Straw Hat?"

There was complete silence on the other end of the receiver again, and Kidd laughed, knowing he'd caught the other pirate captain off guard. "Not who you expected it to be? Does the Surgeon of Death need to be rescued?" The humiliation and embarrassment in the Heart Pirate's voice was a wonderful thing to hear when the Law finally spoke up again.

_'What the hell are you doing around here? I thought you were off destroying things further away.'_

Kidd was still grinning, loving every minute of this as he lowered himself onto a chair to lounge, "How did you know that I was just looking for something to do?" Kidd laughed again at Law muttering under his breath, and added, "Do you want me to come find you guys and liven things up? I don't think that Straw Hat would appreciate that too much. Not that I'd care." The cursing on the other end of the receiver was quickly becoming hilarious. Law didn't lose his composure often, so Kidd was going to relish the other pirate's obvious misery. "Got quite a mouth on you, don't you?"

_'Shut the hell up! It's nothing compared to yours.'_

Kidd grinned some more when he heard more voices began to come through on the other end of the receiver.

_'Hey, Traffy, who're you talking to?'_

_'Hey, stop that, don't!'_

Law's protest obviously went unheeded, as Kidd heard Straw Hat's voice speaking directly to him.

_'Hey, this is Luffy, future pirate King.  Who are you?'_

Law tried again, because his voice was in the background, still protesting, _'It's Eustass-ya! Hang up!'_

Kidd heard the Heard Pirate gasp as something apparently struck him, and another voice joined in that Kidd only vaguely recalled, _'What did you call him for?'_

Law's glum voice made Kidd bite back a snicker, _'I didn't know it'd be him.'_

Luffy's voice came over the receiver again, though he was questioning his crew mates, and apparently Law, _'Who's that again?'_

Kidd was offended that Straw Hat didn't remember him, and was silent as Law tried to provide an answer that would get through to Luffy.

_'Sabaody? Two years ago? He was the one in the auction house who said he'd take care of the marines for us, but we joined up outside with him to fight them. Remember that?'_ There was a short pause, before the Heart Pirate added, _'The one who formed the alliance with Apoo and Hawkins. It was in the paper recently, remember?'_

_'Oh, that weird guy that uses all that metal.'_

Kidd scowled at the transponder snail, "You're weirder being made out of rubber, fool." Kidd was taken aback that Luffy laughed in response. It raised his ire, but the red haired captain attempted to not let the laughter get to him. He was more interested in something else at the moment, "Why are you on their ship, Trafalgar? Why aren't you on your own?"

Law's response was overridden by a very unhappy feminine voice, _'Luffy! Hang up already! That's Eustass Kidd! You don't want someone like that getting a lock onto our position!'_

It was a bit late for that, Kidd thought. After all, if Law had sent a distress signal, it meant that there wasn't much distance between their ships. But the woman that had spoken needn't worry about Kidd attacking. He was far more entertained by the idea of getting to Straw Hat's ship to gloat at Law. It was just too good to be true, and Kidd decided to go take a look, as Law's tone held a hint of desperation, his voice nearly cracking pleadingly over the receiver as someone hung up.

_'Eustass-ya!'_

Kidd grinned as he hung up as well. Law, begging for help from a rival? He definitely had to go and take a look now. It wasn't like he was going to start a fight unless Law or Straw Hat gave him reason to. For the time being, he didn't know whether Straw Hat would fight him on sight or not, so this was a good opportunity to go and laugh at Trafalgar's misfortune. After all, who would be stupid enough to hang around the Straw Hat Pirates, and form an alliance of all things, unless you wanted to go slowly insane? Luffy had already proven himself crazy enough two years ago. It seemed to hold true now as well.

Kidd stamped out of the cabin, in a much better mood, and called to those nearest to him, "Find Straw Hat's ship! We're gonna pay them a visit." The gleam in Kidd's eyes held no room for argument, so none of his crew dared to ask questions, though they were all wondering just what their captain had in mind.

-x-

Law really did want to die now, or at least be unconscious again, as he saw a ship pull up alongside the Thousand Sunny. Eustass Kidd had come after all, and the Heart Pirate highly doubted that he had actually come to help him. It was more like bask in his misery and laugh. Kidd didn't disappoint. As soon as he had come within range, he started to insult Law.

"Trafalgar! Just how far are you from completely losing your mind? I want to see that!" Kidd leaned on his ships railings, grinning wolfishly at Law.

Law twitched, his hand wrapping around Kikoku's hilt tightly. He had retrieved it as soon as he had managed to get out of the cabin, and away from the Straw Hats wondering why he had sent out a distress call. Noting the particularly wicked grin locked onto him, the Heart Pirate captain struggled to not allow himself to rise to the bait. He needed to keep a cool head, and not provoke the other man, no matter how much he wished to do otherwise. Law didn't want a fight to break out, and cause a hell of a commotion, as would be the case with Kidd. It would be very unwise, since no one ever knew just who could be in the area.

"Why did you answer a distress call? What if it had been from the marines?"

Law felt it was a valid question that came from the navigator of the Straw Hat's crew, and would momentarily distract Kidd, and perhaps stop the unpleasant leer that had appeared on the other's face.

Kidd glanced briefly at the speaker, the orange haired woman. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug, "I was bored. If it had been marines trying to set up a trap, I'd destroy 'em before they had a chance to fire a shot at my ship." Kidd turned back to Law, his leer more pronounced, "What were you thinking, Trafalgar? Hanging out with Straw Hat when you're supposed to be on the government's side? Maybe you are going crazy after all." Kidd's smile fled quickly as Law was suddenly perched on the railing of the Thousand Sunny, and had his nodachi out and left hand outstretched.

"I would advise against insulting me. I'm not in the mood for it." The Heart Pirate knew there was no backing down now. If it was a fight Kidd wanted, he'd give it to him and to hell with his plan for the time being. He wasn't going to let Kidd make fun of him and goad him if he could help it.

Kidd broke into a cool smile as he flexed his mechanical left arm, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Room." Law stated plainly, and gave Kidd a mocking smile in return, "Where'd your arm go to Eustass-ya? Run into a bigger badass than you who managed to lop it off?"

Kidd back stepped out of range of Law's Devil Fruit powers, not smiling anymore as he flexed his arms and drew in anything metal he could reach, ignoring some protests that rose from his own crew members as some of them lost their weapons due to Kidd's magnetic pull. The Heart Pirate was asking for it for being such an arrogant son of a bitch. Kidd had almost forgotten that there were still people around who would dare to insult him, and think they could get away with it.

Law felt he _had_ to be going insane if he was stupid enough to start something with Kidd, and even more foolish to insult the other pirate captain. Law quickly dodged to the side to avoid being crushed by a mound of clustered metal objects, and slashed his blade at Kidd, missing as the red haired captain twisted midair and landed onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny to continue his impromptu duel with Law. The two completely ignored anyone else as they went back and forth, Law making a displeased sound in the back of his throat as Kidd tried to magnetically draw his blade from him.

"Not going to happen." The Heart Pirate said, unamused as he sheathed his nodachi and held on. Law grit his teeth as Kidd made another swing at him, looking to either land a hit, or strike the mast behind him. Neither spot would be good for Law's continued well-being, but there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't fancy being hit with sharp objects clustered together. It looked to be enough glinting metal to do a fair amount of damage.

-x-

Kidd smiled in anticipation of bashing the Heart Pirate with the metal he had gathered. There was nowhere for Law to dodge that Kidd couldn't instantly change directions. The bastard was going to get battered whether he liked it or not, and nothing he could do would help him. Or so Kidd thought. He came to a stumbling halt when Law smiled and suddenly vanished from view. Kidd was quick to sense that Law had ended up behind him, so Kidd swung around to block Law's swinging blade, cursing when the nodachi cut through half the gathered metal. Kidd met the Heart Pirate's smug smile, scowling as he took another swing, only to have the other vanish out of his sight again. Interesting. He hadn't known Law could teleport himself around. It had to be linked up to his Devil Fruit powers, so…

"Got you, Trafalgar."  Kidd growled triumphently, as he twisted around to the side, swinging what was left of the metal he'd gathered. Kidd grinned madly at Law as the other pirate captain dropped through the air toward him, his nodachi drawn back for another slash. Kidd could tell that the other wasn't fast enough, if the grim look that crossed Law's face was any indication.

So focused on causing the Heart Pirate pain for the insult about his arm, Kidd didn't realize that someone other than Law had noticed the potential danger to the ship with the fight. And just where part of the swinging metal from Kidd would go if he went through all the way to strike Law.

Kidd's moment of triumph was cut short as he suddenly found himself struck squarely in the chest by Straw Hat, Luffy's fist slamming mercilessly hard. Kidd had been entirely unprepared for the attack, so he couldn't prevent himself from flying nearly half way across the deck, the breath momentarily driven from his body from the hard strike. Kidd crashed to the deck, metal flying everywhere as his concentration was shot. The shock from the attack wore off in an instant, and Kidd was back on his feet. Gasping sharply and sucking in air, fury set in. Kidd leaned against the railing, eyeing Straw Hat murderously, about to focus his attention on him instead, when the freak weather of the new world struck.

The ship began to be battered by massive waves that had seemingly come out of nowhere, and everyone aboard was thrown to the deck as the ship listed crazily. Unfortunately for Kidd, he made one misstep, at the wrong time, and ended up being pitched over the railing of the ship, straight into the raging sea. Kidd only had time for one muffled cry of rage before he was swept beneath the waves and out of view.

-x-

Law backed off when he noticed that Luffy had turned toward him, and after the display put on by Straw Hat, the Heart Pirate not in the mood to join Eustass in being punched. Law glanced over at the Kidd Pirates who were milling about on the deck at the sight of their captain taking a plunge into the sea, and realized that they were motioning to the sea and apparently arguing with one another as the ship was getting pushed further away due to the rough waves. Law noticed that Kidd was nowhere in sight, when he had been before.  As Law struggled to regain his footing, the sight of Kidd's panicking crew made much more sense.

Luffy, now that the ship wasn't in danger of being damaged, suddenly seemed to realize that Kidd was missing as he straightened out of his fighting stance, "Hey, where did that metal guy go?"

Law sheathed his nodachi and rested it against his shoulder as he responded, "He fell into the sea." And Kidd was probably pissed as hell that he had even ended up there to begin with.

Luffy looked puzzled. He clearly hadn't thought his punch would send the other captain flying so far, since he had thought he had _avoided_ knocking him into the sea.

There was a short silence on the Thousand Sunny before someone spoke up.

"Is someone going to go get him before he drowns?"


	3. Storm Detour 1

Sanji looked over the side of the ship carefully, taking in the sight of the churning waves below, before he glanced over his shoulder, "Hey, Luffy, what do you…hey!" Sanji held tight to the railing to prevent Luffy's clap on the shoulder from throwing off his center of balance and toppling him in after Kidd. Sanji was about to demand what his crazy captain thought he was doing, when the answer was provided with typical Luffy logic.

"Hey, Sanji, go help him! He can't swim!"

Sanji eyed the vicious waves, "What? Why?"

Zoro stood nearby with his arms crossed, and seemed to be entirely unconcerned about the worrying change the weather had taken, as he kept himself upright on the listing ship. He gave Sanji a faint smirk, "What, you can't handle some waves, love cook?"

"And you can, moss head?" Sanji growled back, bristling at the jab.

Law watched the exchange silently, holding onto both his nodachi and the railing as he cast his gaze to Kidd's ship. No one from Eustass' ship had jumped into the sea yet, meaning they were occupied for one reason or another. Law looked back to the two bickering men, who were by now nearly face to face, and frowned, "The longer you argue, the more likely Eustass-ya will drown."

Zoro and Sanji turned as one to glare at Law, obviously irritated that the Heart Pirate had dared to interrupt their very important argument.

"Who asked you?"

"Why do you care anyway? I thought you guys hated each other's guts."

Law looked away as he closed his eyes, "I don't particularly care, but I'd rather not have his crew attack us in revenge, as they'd likely see us as responsible if he drowns. It would cause more unnecessary delays."

Before either Zoro or Sanji could say anything to that, an ominous splash sounded, and both Straw Hats slowly turned together to peer over the railing. And what they saw made both of them sigh.

"What the hell are you doing, you dumbass?"  Sanji gripped the railings as he snapped at the flailing Luffy, "You can't swim!"

"Losing…strength." Luffy gasped before he sunk beneath the waves, hands clamping over his mouth. Before Luffy could begin to become concerned at the lack of air, two hands seized him. As his head broke the surface, Luffy grinned weakly at his friends, who were both soaking wet and scowling, "Hey guys. Sorry."

Sanji handed the arm he was gripping over to Zoro, so that the swordsman was the one holding their idiot captain above the water. The two exchanged a look as the blond shook his head, "I'll go get the other one." Sanji waded a bit away through the crashing waves, sighing in exasperation, "Devil Fruit users can be such a pain in the ass. They can drown far too easily if someone doesn't keep an eye on them." Sanji disappeared beneath the waves, where he held still for a moment as he allowed his body to get used to the crazy currents buffeting him to and fro.

Sanji soon righted himself and looked around quickly to spot the missing Kidd. The cook soon spotted the pirate captain in question sinking further and further down. Sanji began to swim as fast as he could against the current as he cursed inwardly. Why did Luffy always have to be so concerned about the well-being of his enemies when they weren't actively in a fight?

Most of them wouldn't be so courteous in return.

-x-

Back on the surface, Zoro paddled one handed back through the waves to the ship, his other arm looped firmly around Luffy's upper body, to ensure that the other's head stayed above water.

Luffy, still feeling weak from being in the sea, rested his head against Zoro's shoulder. He was incredibly hungry by now. He couldn't last much longer if he didn't have something to eat. Luffy eyed the arm in front of him silently, a slightly glazed look appearing in his eyes, "Mmm, meat…"

Zoro frowned at Luffy's seemingly fevered mumbling about food, and the green haired man thought that meant that the other might be sick. Zoro's concern vanished in an instant when he felt drool on his arm, followed by a bite.

"Meat…" Luffy drawled out in a long exhalation of breath as he tried to munch on Zoro's arm, "Kinda tough though…"

Zoro twitched, "Let go of my arm, you idiot! It isn't food!"

"But I'm hungry…"

Zoro glanced up at the Thousand Sunny, treading water as he jabbed a finger at Law. The swordsman tried to ignore his captain gnawing vigorously on his arm. "You! You're a doctor, right? If there's a problem with the other guy that shit cook is getting, you're dealing with it." Zoro promptly forgot about the Heart Pirate as he gripped the side of the ship and began to attempt to remove Luffy from his person, the teeth still clamped down on his arm.

"Meeaatt."

"What did I just tell you?!"

Law watched in absolute silence as the other Straw Hats helped their friends out of the water. The Heart Pirate covered his face partially with one hand at the sight of several of Straw Hat's crew mates trying to assist in the removal of Luffy from Zoro's arm. It was this kind of stupidity that was making him question his sanity. Straw Hat's actions were so baffling, Law mused, as the navigator managed to succeed in removing Luffy from the swordsman's arm with a swift swat to the head. Law dropped his hand and turned to stare glumly at the raging sea waves. He tried and failed to tune out the good-natured laughing and scolding about Luffy's attempt to eat his friend's arm in his search for a quick meal.

"You left a bite mark!" Zoro griped as he ran a hand over the spot, before he held it out to allow Chopper to take a look at it.

The short reindeer turned the arm this way and that, before giving his prognosis, "The skin isn't broken, but there might be a small bruise. It'll clear up quickly."

"Bleh." Luffy stuck out his tongue with a disgruntled sound, "Zoro, you don't taste good at all."

General laughter sounded as Zoro grumbled something in response, and stomped away to the cabins, followed closely by Chopper.

"Zoro, wait! I'm not done yet!"

Law stared up at the sky as a tortured expression crossed his face. The stupidity factor was quickly rising, and he could only set his jaw as Luffy suddenly decided to invade his personal space by sitting down right next to him.

"Hey, Traffy, are you hungry?" Luffy inquired, grinning as he watched Law bury his face in his hands with a groan.

When would it end? Kidd attacking and subsequently ending up in the sea was just one more complication that Law didn't need, and Luffy's laidback way of interacting with him (and ignoring _all_ his plans) was reallystarting to get on his nerves.

"Hey, look, isn't that a huge, tasty looking fish?"

Law silently rose and dispatched said enormous fish, even as Luffy leaned over the railing with his mouth watering at the sight of it. Law smirked at the way Luffy's face fell, disappointment washing across his face as the fish vanished beneath the sea, his arm outstrethed.

"Nooo! Come back! I was going to eat you!"

Law shouldered his nodachi and sat back down, shaking his head even as the small smirk remained on his face.

Really. Just how many more things were going to delay their progress?

-x-

Kidd was furious with what had just happened, but he was currently too weakened to make much of a fuss about it. Kidd main goal right now was to keep his mouth firmly shut to prevent sea water from forcing its way in. He loathed this weakened feeling all Devil Fruit users received when they fell into the sea. Kidd watched as the surface got further away, and wondered if his crew would be able to get to him. Most of them were quite good swimmers, mainly due to the fact that Kidd ended up in the sea far more often than he cared to admit; usually in the midst of a battle.

Kidd was battered by a rough current, which only served to further infuriate him. Kidd was going to get Straw Hat for this. Just what did that idiot think he was doing, interfering like that? He hadn't even been interested in starting a fight with the Straw Hats just yet. Kidd had only attacked the Heart Pirate because Trafalgar was being a jackass and had practically been begging for a beating. Kidd had just been returning the favor to show the other pirate captain that it wasn't a smart idea to insult him. Kidd had killed for such things in the past, and he probably could have kicked Law's skinny, lanky ass if no one had stepped in.

Kidd lost the battle to hold his breath, as sudden changes in the sea's current struck him more fiercely and drove out what little breath he had left. Kidd was beside himself with fury, but he could only flounder helplessly as he was forced to ingest the salty seawater. This would be quite a humiliating way to go, and it was never how he envisioned himself dying, if at all.

Just as Kidd thought he might actually drown, he felt someone grab him. He twitched in response, but other than that, Kidd felt himself fading quickly, and offered no resistance whatsoever to whoever had seized him. At the very least, they were attempting to prevent him from drowning, and Kidd could only hope that it was one of his own crewmates.

Kidd soon felt cool air on his face, which meant that he was at least partially out of the water, since he still had no strength to move. His eyes had closed at some point, and he couldn't force them open to see who was holding him partially around the middle and by the shoulder. Damn body ignoring him. Kidd couldn't take a breath, and that seemed wrong. He should be sucking in air like crazy. Why the hell were his lungs being so damn useless?

There was a strange sensation of being hauled up and over something, but as soon as his body was out of the water, Kidd felt a whole lot better. His body was just being a lazy son of a bitch and not responding to the desperate need for oxygen. Kidd felt his back come into contact with something hard, and he assumed that it was a deck. Good, he was back on his ship then. He could take a rest, and then deal with both Straw Hat and Law for this embarrassment.

-x-

Sanji rested his back against the railing, frowning when he found that his pack of cigarettes in his pocket was saturated from his swim.

Since the reindeer doctor was in one of the cabins with Zoro, Law resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to be the one do something to keep the dumbass on the deck from drowning from all the sea water he'd unwillingly taken in. If the cook and the swordsman hadn't gotten into their little argument, they would have been able to get Kidd out of the water sooner. The fact that the red head was sprawled out on his back and unresponsive to being jostled around wasn't a good sign. Law sighed. Kidd was going to want to kill him for this, but gaining the other man's ire would be far better than having Kidd's whole crew after them if he or the Straw Hats let the red haired captain die instead.

As Law knelt down next to the motionless Kidd and checked for a pulse, he reflected on how sometimes he hated the fact that he was a doctor, no matter how convenient it was to not have to worry about locating one. Finding a faint pulse, Law went to work.

It figured that Eustass would be too damn stubborn to die from something like drowning.

-x-

Kidd let out a thin sound of discomfort as something pressed down on his chest, hard. Fuck, that hurt. Who the hell was doing that? His right hand twitched, but other than that he lay still. It was then that Kidd realized he really wasn't taking in any air, at all. Dammit. The loss of air was doing odd things to Kidd's thought process, and instead of worrying about potentially drowning, he got angry. It was downright infuriating to be unable to do anything.

Kid squirmed inwardly as he felt someone's lips meet his own. Who in the _fuck_ was kissing him? He was dying here, and if it had been within Kidd's power, he would have punched whoever it was. He couldn't breathe, so what the hell were they doing? It took a few moments for it to register in his mind that the person was preforming CPR. Kidd twitched again as the pressure on his chest returned. Oh, so he must have ingested more seawater than he had originally thought. Kidd supposed he could handle CPR, depending on which of his crew members was doing it. He'd rather not die from something as pathetic as drowning. It would be too ironic for being a Devil Fruit user.

Kidd finally felt nauseous after a few more chest compressions and breaths being forced into him, and that was when whoever was giving him CPR rolled him on his side and gave his back a hefty smack. Kidd expelled water gratefully, while at the same time cursing the sea for its sudden decision to cause ridiculous current changes. Kidd started to cough harshly, and supposed he had to be grateful to whoever was holding him up and patting his back methodically to get rid of any lingering traces of unwanted water. Kidd began to gasp in breaths of air, fighting back the urge to shake. He still felt weak in the limbs, but he figured a near death experience would do that.

As Kidd began to plot all the terrible, destructive things he could do to both Law and Straw Hat, a low chuckle sounded near his ear. Kidd's thoughts ground instantly to a halt as dread slowly began set in. No, he wouldn't have… Kidd glanced out of the corner of his eye, and saw Trafalgar smirking smugly at him. Kidd stuttered out the first thing that came to mind, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?

Law grimly bore Kidd's weight as the other shifted to look around, apparently not latching onto the fact that the Heart Pirate was half holding him up.

Kidd immediately noticed that he wasn't on his ship, and since he hadn't been given CPR by any of his crew members, and Law was the closest one to him, it had to be his doing. Kidd knew that the other pirate captain was a doctor, so it would make sense that he knew how to perform CPR. Kidd recoiled as though burned as he freed himself from Law's support, sitting down hard on the deck. Law's deepening smirk at his reactions made Kidd's blood boil. He didn't even care that the Heart Pirate had just saved his sorry ass from drowning. Trafalgar had had the gall to give him mouth to mouth resuscitation. Kidd was going to _kill him_ for this.

"Captain Kidd!"

Scowling darkly at a still smiling Law, Kidd forced himself up. He managed to stagger over to the side of the ship, where he leaned heavily against the railing. Kidd spotted his ship trying to sail closer, only to be pushed back by the churning sea. Kidd studied the sky. It looked like a nasty storm was brewing. Kidd knew there was no way it would be safe to use a small dinghy to get to his own ship, and he figured that the Straw Hats wouldn't give him one anyway without a fight. And thanks to his near drowning and Devil Fruit powers, it was out of the question to try and swim back to his ship with the help of a crewamate. Kidd wasn't happy as he shouted over the whipping wind, "Go anchor the ship, you dumbasses, before it sinks!" Hearing his less than enthused crew respond, Kidd watched as his ship sailed off without him. Great. Now he was trapped on a ship with two of his enemies. Wasn't that just fucking wonderful?

Kidd focused his ire on Law, a nasty smile spreading across his face. Before he could utter a word, however, Straw Hat came out of nowhere, bumping into Kidd and toppling him over to the deck. Kidd cursed profusely. He wasn't quite back to full strength it seemed. Kidd rolled over and glared at Straw Hat, "Why did you interfere earlier? I wasn't even fighting with you or your crew!"

Luffy indicated the dents in the deck, before he crossed his arms and spoke matter of fact, "I didn't want you wrecking the ship."

Kidd stared wordlessly at the other captain, wondering just what was wrong with him. Luffy had merely been protecting the ship? Kidd clenched his right hand into a fist as fury rose within him. He'd nearly _drowned_ because Straw Hat hadn't wanted him putting dents in his precious ship?  The red haired captain flexed his artificial left arm, considering the pros and cons of lashing out at the grinning Luffy. Straw Hat was definitely crazier than Kidd initially thought he'd been, especially with an attitude like that. Ships could be easily repaired if one had the money. People, not so much.

Nami spoke calmly, completely ignoring the fuming Kidd, "We should head inland too. With the air pressure the way it is, the storm could become a hurricane at any moment, and we don't want to get caught in that." She held up a hand, "See? It's started to rain."

Kidd was left all alone with Law, speechless as the Straw Hats dispersed to guide the Thousand Sunny to a small island that could be seen in the distance. Kidd scowled as turned to lock eyes with Law's. The new world's weather was proving itself to be very unstable and unpredictable as usual, and it couldn't have picked a more inconvenient time.

Law broke eye contact first as he sat down with his back against the nearby mast, his nodachi propped over his shoulder as he stared at the deck, "There's no point in getting into a fight right now, Eustass-ya."

"Why not?" Kidd's temper abated somewhat, conceding the point, even if he wasn't happy about it. After all, it was going to take quite a long time to forget about the whole CPR thing, and Kidd hated to think that he now owed the Heart Pirate for saving his life. Kidd would have liked nothing more than to fight out his frustration.

"You're trapped now too, until the storm passes and your crew comes back for you."

Kidd furrowed his brow at Law, "The Straw Hats can't be that bad." Seeing the dead kind of look the Heart Pirate gave him, Kidd smiled darkly, "If it's that much of a problem, I can deal with Straw Hat for you."

"I'll do it on my own at some point, thanks. You probably couldn't handle him anyway."

Kidd twitched, anger taking over again, "Oh? I don't think it's going to be possible for you to do that. If you can't get your little room up, you're useless in a fight."

Law tilted his head tot he side, as if considering his response, though he still was not quite looking up at the red head. Though the insult had to have irritated him, Law decided to change the subject, "How do you feel, anyway? You took in quite a bit of sea water."

Kidd looked at his fellow captain haughtily, even as he disguised a traitorous cough, "I'm fine. Your doctor act is annoying. If I wanted your help, I would have asked for it." Kidd stifled another cough, "And just to let you know, I wouldn't asked for it in the first place."

Law finally glanced up as he studied the other man silently, "It's not an act, and I really doubt you would have been able to ask for help, or decline it, as you were." Law gave Kidd a level look as he heard yet another cough, "If you keep coughing like that, you should think of taking a rest." All Law received was a glower and a bearing of teeth, but he wasn't intimidated in the least, "Sit down, Eustass-ya. You really _should_ rest after nearly drowning. Most people would be unconscious or dead, even after CPR."

Kidd took on an interesting shade of pink as he stomped forward and grabbed Law by the front of his sweater, hauling the Heart Pirate to his feet to snarl in his face, "Don't you _ever_ bring that up!" As an after-thought, Kidd added, "And don't tell me what to do, you son of a bitch!"

Law was outwardly calm, even though he was ready to draw his weapon in a moment's notice, on tiptoe as he was, "Does it really bother you that much that I saved you? I'd think you'd be a little grateful that I didn't let the reindeer give you CPR."

A faint flush of anger and embarrassment crossed Kidd's face, "I said not to bring that up!" Law was just asking for trouble if he wouldn't shut the hell up about it already.

The Heart Pirate was unamused, and he really didn't appreciate that Kidd had tightened his grasp on his sweater. Law supposed he was relieved that Kidd hadn't just seized him around the neck to choke him. The red head was perfectly capable of that, but Law pushed that unpleasant thought away as he glared back at Kidd, "And I've already told _you_ numerous times not to tell me what to do." Ignoring the warning growl that issued from the other man, Law continued, "Would you have rather died? I just assumed that you wouldn't want to die from something like that, caused by Straw Hat not paying attention.  Am I wrong?"

Kidd snarled something utterly incoherent, unsure whether he wanted to bash the Heart Pirate's head against the mast, or just shake him for a bit, since he couldn't exactly kill the damn bastard after he'd just saved him. Kidd's decision was prevented from being made as Luffy went careening past them both, forcing Kidd to release Law if he wanted to avoid being bowled over. The two pirate captains watched as the third went flying off the side of the ship without a second's thought.

Law had been so focused on dealing with his sudden, unwanted patient that he hadn't realized that the Thousand Sunny had come to a halt. Dread began to settle in as he inquired in a low tone, "Eustass-ya?"

"What?"  Kidd felt a bit of a sinking feeling, the CPR incident forgotten for the time being. He was beginning to have an inkling as to just how Law had been feeling when he sent off his distress signal, "What?"

"We just dropped anchor, didn't we?" Law slid back down to rest his back against the mast again. He knew he shouldn't be surprised that that was the case, especially with the storm raging just a few ship lengths away. The Heart Pirate couldn't help but have a dire sense of foreboding.

The perturbed tone Law spoke in gave Kidd pause as he peered over the side of the ship and found that they had indeed anchored. Kidd turned to examine the resigned look on Law's face, and had the uneasy feeling that if something bothered Trafalgar this much, then perhaps he should be slightly concerned as to why that was.  It wasn't like the other man to act in such a way. Kidd wondered just what was it about the Straw Hat Pirates that had gotten under the Surgeon of Death's skin, and whether he should be concerned about something happening to himself. It was an unexpected turn of events, and Kidd wasn't sure what to expect, other than the potential craziness that the Straw Hats might concoct.

Law wore a forlorn expression as he languidly stood up and trudged over to stand alongside the other captain to take in where they had anchored. Law just couldn't fathom how he and the Straw Hats hadn't gotten to their next destination yet. There was only so much time they could waste, and Law felt that there was something fishy in the way that Doflamingo had given in so easily to his demands. The older man would no doubt have some unpleasantness planned in return for Law daring to interfere with his plans, so the Heart Pirate would have to be ready for anything.

Neither Kidd nor Law had much time to think about the implications of anchoring, as they both watched Sanji, Zoro and Nami pass by them to leave the ship to follow after their captain. Luffy was already far ahead of them, whooping in excitement at what could be found on the island while they waited for fairer weather.

Kidd sneered at the sight. Why were the Straw Hats were even bothering going to the island in the first place? It wasn't like the storm was going to last the whole day. Kidd side glanced at the glum Law, and his sneer deepened. Perhaps now would be a good time to settle things with Law from earlier, before Straw Hat had the chance to come back and knock him off balance again. Kidd had no desire to take another unexpected dip in the sea, and Kidd figured that the Heart Pirate must know that he might try something. Therefore, Kidd was completely surprised when Law hopped up onto the railing of the ship with his nodachi casually held over his shoulder, and watched the Straw Hats progress on the beach in resignation.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kidd swiftly leaned to the right to avoid being smacked in the side of the head by Law's sheathed weapon, and instead of becoming angry at the sudden swing, grinned at what Law did next. The other captain jumped into the shallows, and trudged through the seawater to the sandy beach, heading in the direction the Straw Hats had gone in. Kidd rested against the railing, calling after the other in a mocking way, "What, you gonna to go babysit them?" Kidd didn't actually expect a response, and when he did get one, he was highly amused.

"Someone has to make sure they don't make a loud racket and draw attention to us. We _are_ trying to avoid detection." Law paused and glanced over his shoulder up at Kidd, "Why don't you stay on the ship and try not to die of secondary drowning?" Law picked up his pace a little, expecting the other captain to take that as a challenge.

Kidd seethed as he glared at the retreating Heart Pirate's back. Skinny bastard, trying to order him around. Kidd gripped the railing of the ship, thinking to hoist himself up and over, when a voice hailed him.

"Hey! Are you all right? Don't you need to rest? You nearly drowned!"

Kidd glanced over his shoulder, frowning at the sight of the little anthropomorphic animal, "What the fuck are you? A raccoon? Why the hell do they have a pet on board for?"

Chopper puffed up indignantly, "I'm a reindeer!"

Kidd let go of the railing as he turned to study the short blue-nosed animal, "You sure as hell don't look like one, and you didn't answer the question!"

"What?" Chopper thought about it, and then gasped, offended, "I'm not a pet! I'm the doctor for this ship!"

Kidd eyed Chopper dubiously, but before he could say or do anything else, a coughing fit took over, driving him to the deck as he struggled to regain control over his lungs.

Chopper panicked, "Hey! See? You shouldn't go off the ship! You haven't fully recovered!"

Kidd waved off the annoying little creature, "I'm fine." Even if he was still coughing, he wasn't going to let it keep him down. Kidd took a few breaths, before he stood tall, and stared down his nose at Chopper, daring the little creature to say anything more about taking a rest. He had no time for that kind of nonsense. Kidd had a certain smartass pirate captain to put in line.

Chopper shook a little in intimidation at the cold way Kidd was looking down at him, but his doctor's training had already kicked in, and whether or not Kidd was an enemy meant nothing to him. He wanted to help, but Kidd seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with him. Chopper protested as Kidd hoisted himself up and over the ship's railing, dropping into the shallows with a curse. Chopper hopped up to watch, before he went scrambling for his bag. Kidd really shouldn't be moving around so much. He could run into problems in the immediate future if there _was_ any remaining seawater in his body.

-x-

Kidd swayed as he hit the water with a loud splash, his lip curling in distaste when he found that it came up to his knees. Kidd clenched his right hand into a fist as he sloshed to shore, relieved when he set foot on dry land. That was when the annoying little animal on the ship began calling after him.

"Hey! Stop! Are you trying to wreck your health?"

Kidd ignored the high pitched voice as he headed up through the sand, stifling a few coughs in the crook of his arm. When it passed, Kidd prowled in the direction the Heart Pirate had gone, thinking they could settle their fight on this deserted looking island. Kidd paused before the closely clumped together trees that Law had just shoved his way past moments earlier. Damn. Kidd _really_ didn't feel like taking a hike through unknown terrain, but maybe something interesting would happen. Perhaps Straw Hat or Law would be eaten by some large animal on the island, though that would then mean that Kidd couldn't laugh at Law's off kilter behavior caused by Straw Hat's behavior, or give some payback to Luffy for nearly causing him to drown from being overly protective of his ship.

Kidd supposed that seeing Law going crazy and beating Straw Hat around a little was too good an opportunity to pass up. The red head turned to survey the stormy weather over the sea. There would be a few good hours before it would pass. He could be mistaken. Kidd snorted softly as he turned back toward the cluster of trees before him. It seemed more like a winter forest than a tropical one, and Kidd again found the new world to be a pain in the ass. At least there were more challenges to be had, but he could do without the damn extreme weather. A little trudging around the island should allow him to get his breath under control and get the irritating coughing to go away.

-x-

Chopper had changed into his Walk Point, and had leapt off the ship with his medical gear on hand. As soon as Chopper reached the sandy beach, he galloped in the direction that Kidd had gone. Regardless of whether or not Kidd wanted help, Chopper felt he had to at least try. From what he had seen when he'd come out of the cabin, and saw how long Law had to perform CPR, Kidd could potentially still be hit with after effects of taking in so much water, and being deprived of oxygen. He was lucky that he hadn't had a heart attack on top of it.

Chopper paused just outside the forest, scuffing the ground nervously with his hooves. He hoped that there weren't scary monsters living on the seemingly peaceful island. A rustling sound caught Chopper's attention, and he let out a little yelp, rushing off into the forest without any thought. Chopper ended up going straight past Kidd, and it would take Chopper some time before he found anyone.

The rustling had been caused by Usopp, who had decided to go and take a look at the island, to see if there were any useful materials. He'd watched Chopper's panicked bolt, but didn't think much of it as he put it from his mind.

Chopper was probably just going after Luffy and the others.

There was no need to worry.


	4. Storm Detour 2

Law followed along after Straw Hat and his crew at a leisurely pace, acutely aware of his surroundings on the unfamiliar island terrain. Law chose to ignore the thought that Kidd could come crashing through the trees after him to pick a fight over trying to order him around. The Heart Pirate silently took in the sights, like the overly colorful plants here and there amongst the more winter like trees and pines. The contrast was rather odd looking. Law readjusted his grip on his nodachi as he passed by a small clearing, where a few very large hybrid animals were snoozing in a patch of sunlight. He supposed wild animals were better than running across other pirates that could carry news away about their whereabouts.

Law skirted a few fallen trees, and bypassed a suspicious looking body of water. Law eyed it warily for a few moments, before discerning that it was what he thought it was; a small pool of sea water that had forced its way up through the grass and sand. He glanced up at the sky through the foliage. Law felt distinctly hypersensitive, and it wasn't the small body of sea water or the animals that were bothering him. There was something else that made Law uneasy, and he couldn't put his finger on it. It had to be something about the island, because he hadn't been feeling like this until after he had gotten off of Straw Hat's ship. It was almost as if there was something watching him, and an invisible crawling sensation was settling squarely between his shoulder blades. Law's body tensed in response, as if he were expecting an imminent attack.

Law ran his gaze over the immediate area, intent on finding the source of his unease. However, there was nothing to be seen, other than a few of the creatures that lived on the island lumbering by, more or less ignoring him. Law let out a low sigh, tension leaving his body. He must be imagining things. If there had been anyone watching him, they would have likely made their presence known as soon as they noticed he was alone. Law was being paranoid, and it didn't help that Straw Hat and his crew were already making him question his sanity. The feeling of being watched did not leave him, and Law, aware of it, continued on his way.

An hour later…

Law let out a disgruntled sound when he emerged from some trees and spotted the beach and the sea. He must have come out on another side of the island, because Straw Hat's ship wasn't in view. Law studied the sea silently, noting that a storm was still raging just off the coast of the island. Law turned to go back into the forest, when he halted and did a double take. There was another ship anchored in the shallows, much smaller than Straw Hat's, but still decently sized. Law didn't recognize the Jolly Roger that was flapping wildly in the wind, and felt that that was a good sign.

Law heard rustling behind him and he turned away from the sight of the ship, hand on the hilt of his blade as he surveyed the area around him once more. There were a few smaller animals scampering by, but the rustling had stopped almost as soon as it had begun. Law hated the feeling of being watched, so he spoke aloud in a demanding tone, "Who's there?"

Silence greeted the Heart Pirate's demand, though the sound of wildlife continued.

Law's hand dropped from the hilt as he shook his head. He was imagining things. He'd almost sworn he heard a mocking laugh, but there was no one in sight, and he didn't sense anyone. Law ran a hand over his face. There were logical explanations to be had for what he was feeling. He'd have to look into it if he had to spend more than a day on this island. There was something in the atmosphere of the island that seemed to confuse one's senses, and make them imagine things, or make it seem like one was being watched.

Law started to walk back the way he had come, angling slightly to take himself down another path in search of his temporary allies. If Law could, he would bring Straw Hat's doctor with him to check into his theory of the island's climate and atmosphere bringing up minor hallucinatory visions. Law couldn't help but glance over his shoulder whenever he heard an unexpected sound, or the rustle coming from the foliage around him. The dense leaves of the main population of trees made it difficult to see the upper branches, which made it a perfect place for a predator to launch an ambush.

Law halted at a particularly loud rustle and after looking around warily, before he relaxed his poise. He had been ready to draw forth his weapon should anything jump out at him. He was overreacting. Law doubted that anyone of importance would have come to this peculiar little island. If he did happen to come across someone that wasn't whom he had come to the island with, Law felt he could handle it. It was useful being a warlord, though with it getting out that he had entered into an alliance with the Straw Hats, it was debatable for just how long he would remain one.

Law curled a hand around Kikoku's hilt resting against his shoulder, and held it close as he continued on his way. He would worry about these kinds of things once he was back on the sea and on the way to Dressrosa. Right now, he had to locate Straw Hat and the others, because knowing them, they'd be able to find some way to make whoever else could be on the island notice them. Perhaps by making something explode, despite there being no ammunition on the island. Law wouldn't put it past them, knowing what they were capable of.

Above in the canopy, something glinted in the sunlight. The glint tilted to one side as it watched the Heart Pirate's progress, as if in contemplation, and as soon as Law was out of view, the glint vanished as someone moved silently amongst the dense upper foliage of the tree.

Law hadn't been imagining the laugh from earlier, and if he had heard it and realized that it was coming from the canopy of the trees, the Heart Pirate would have been scrambling to remove himself from the island as fast as was humanly possible.

-x-

Law thought that he would reach another end of the island without coming across anyone again, when he heard voices up ahead, arguing loudly. Even with as short a time he had spent with them, Law could instantly tell that the voices belonged to Straw Hat and his crew. Law came to a halt at the edge of the forest, hesitating to enter the clearing that was there as he watched the three Straw Hats bickering with one another. Taking a deep breath, and telling himself that he was doing this for the good of the alliance, Law walked forward nonchalantly. He didn't say a word as he drew nearer, because by then he was able to pick up on the conversation.

"And I'm telling you that Nami shouldn't be by herself!"

"You just want to go with her to ogle her, pervert cook!"

Law sighed inwardly as he stopped near where Luffy was standing, eying Zoro and Sanji with a critical eye, and wondered why he had to be present for such a ridiculous conversation. Law was fairly certain that the navigator could take care of herself perfectly well. There didn't seem to be anything or anyone dangerous enough on the island to worry about it.

Luffy was looking back and forth between Zoro and Sanji, "Hey, we should go exploring! There could be a lot of meat here!" He pouted a little when he noticed that he was being ignored.

Sanji turned away, striding off, "I'm going to go make sure she is all right! Nothing had better have happened to her while talking to you, moss head!"

Zoro wasn't going to push the point, deciding to let the blond go be stupid on his own. The swordsman glanced to the side sharply, rethinking that decision,"Hey, cook."

Sanji paused, looking around the edge of the clearing, tensing, "Something's coming."

Law watched as two of the larger creatures he had spotted earlier burst through the cluster of trees and into the clearing with vicious snarls. Well, at least he had been right about the Straw Hats being able to bring things down upon themselves either through words or actions. The Heart Pirate wasn't quite sure what to think of the cook's reaction.

Sanji raced toward one of the large creatures, dodging its gaping maw as he hopped into the air. Sanji came crashing down on the animal's head with a precisely aimed, and very deadly, kick.

Law could almost see the fire spouting off from the blond as he kicked the creature a few more times, roaring angrily as the poor beast was driven into the ground.

"How dare you try and keep me from Nami!"

Law glanced from the one sided, sadly pathetic beating, to see how the swordsman would act.

Zoro faced the creature bearing down on him calmly, one hand gripping a katana hilt. He leapt up the creature's arm, and into the air above, "One sword style…" Zoro drew out his katana in a flash and swung the blade down, "Dragon Quake!" Zoro landed a short distance away, sheathing his blade calmly as the partially decapitated beast collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

Law supposed he wasn't at all surprised by Straw Hat's crewmates' actions, nor what followed after as Luffy looked the creatures over.

"These look tasty."

Sanji examined the creature he'd done in, and gave a superior smirk to Zoro, who stood a short distance away, "The one I killed is bigger than yours."

Zoro looked between the two fallen creatures, and crossed his arms, apparently thinking hard. At length, he spoke, "Yours has horns, and that's what makes it look bigger. That doesn't count."

"That animal is smaller than mine." Sanji announced, narrowing his eyes and daring Zoro to challenge the claim.

Zoro took him up on it as the swordsman crossed the distance between them, "Your eyes must be going if you can't figure out that creature there is smaller than that one."

"Your vision is the one that is going. At least I have two eyes."

Sparks flew between the two men as they fell into a heated debate at just how to measure the size of the dead animals.

Law watched the exchange with a look of utter confusion, not understanding what the deal was, while Luffy just laughed away at his friends' antics.

Luffy looked over to the animals being argued over, and then turned to Law, who was standing silently next to him, "Hey, Traffy." Seeing the confused expression turned his way, Luffy continued as he motioned at the dead animals, "Don't they look really, really tasty?"

Law glanced at the almost decapitated, spike covered creature, whose hide was undoubtedly tough, and then the other one, that looked like a poisonous bear with jellyfish stingers. Only Straw Hat would think those things looked like something to eat. Seeing that yet again Luffy was expecting a response, Law responded in monotone, "…I suppose so…"

Luffy grinned, while ignoring the fact that Zoro and Sanji's verbal argument had transformed into a fight between them over who killed the largest animal. Luffy and Law turned as the foliage rustled, and just as Law was thinking that it was whatever had been following him around, Luffy let out an excited whoop as a creature larger than either of the others came into the clearing, "Wow, that's a lot of meat!"

Law watched as the enormous creature came partway into the clearing, and picked up the corpses, one in its jaw, and the other clasped by a paw, before drawing back.

"Hey! That's my meat! Put it down!"

Law resisted the urge to shake his head, though he did stiffen when he noticed that Luffy's upset expression turned into one of anger. That was weird. "Straw Hat-ya…" Law drifted off as Luffy whirled on his feet and stomped toward his crewmates, yelling and interrupting the short bout that had begun between Zoro and Sanji.

"Zoro! You let the food get taken away!"

Law leaned against a tree, appalled at what followed next, as Luffy took a swing at Zoro. Law couldn't believe that he had allied himself with such strange people. What captain would get into a fight with his one of his own crew over something so stupid? It was baffling, but at least it served as a brief distraction from thoughts about the island's seemingly peculiar effect on him…

Law gasped in sudden realization. He hadn't even requested that they all head back to the ship, and was instead waiting for the Straw Hats to finish the petty argument amongst themselves. Law stared down at the ground as he reevaluated the choices he had made up until that point. He was seriously starting to lose it, and Law feared what more could be done to draw him further into Straw Hat's craziness, if it hadn't already ensnared him completely.

-x-

Chopper slowed to a canter, before stopping altogether, once he noticed that no one was actually chasing after him. Chopper looked back and forth, gasping when he noticed that he was all alone, or so he thought. Chopper changed back into his usual form, fretting a little. He wanted to find Kidd before the other ended up hurting himself from overexertion, but that seemed unlikely to happen any time soon, since he had no idea which way he had gone.

Chopper sniffed the air, before wrinkling his nose. Something smelled, like when his friends forgot to shower themselves. Chopper perked up and walked in the direction of the scent he picked up on. Maybe it was Luffy and the others, even though he didn't recall any of them smelling like they needed a bath. Maybe it had been harder to tell on the ship.  If he got closer, he'd be able to tell who it was.

Chopper pushed past a few bushes, before he tripped on a root, and ended up flat on the ground. Chopper ran a hoof over his nose, wincing a little, before he lay still as unfamiliar voices reached his ears. Chopper tilted his head. Who was it? Chopper froze as a group of what appeared to be pirates came to a halt just a few feet from where he had tripped. The humanoid reindeer became concerned the longer the pirates talked, as he remembered that the pirates vaguely resembled the ones that had burst into the tavern the day before on the other island.

-x-

"Captain Mediocre! Do you really think they came to this island?" One pirate questioned, looking distinctly unhappy that his head was currently being held by another crew member. No one had yet figured out whose mismatched body parts belonged to whom. Not that they had tried to remove body parts from the wrong places, due to the fear that it might cause irrevocable damage. Hence the group's need to locate Trafalgar Law and get the Warlord to change them back to normal. The demoralized crew couldn't be expected to go pirating in such a state.

The pirate, Captain Mediocre, hated his name with an unholy passion, and had left home as soon as he could to spite his navy father. If his parents were going to dare to name him as such a thing, it served them right that he became a pirate in retaliation.

"Captain Mediocre?"

Mediocre whirled on his crewmate with a snarl, "I've told you not to call me that! I've told you idiots constantly, over and over, to call me 'sir' or 'captain.' Not Mediocre!"

"But captain, that's what everyone calls us. It's even on your bounty." One of the crew hesitantly pointed out.

"It's my father's fault! He's the one that dubbed us the Mediocre Pirates! It wasn't my choice! I refuse to acknowledge it!" Mediocre was so far in denial that he hadn't even realized that his crew felt profound pity for him, and his unfortunate name.

After all, what pirate band would want to be known as mediocre? Sure, it would work to their advantage if they were powerful and struck fear into their enemy's hearts after engaging in battle. The reality was that it described them perfectly, and the state they were in only served to depress them further that they were never going to be better than average.

In the bushes, unbeknownst to the gathered pirates, Chopper was crying at the story of woe being played out before him.

Mediocre shifted uncomfortably, as he side glanced at himself, "I'm going to teach that bastard a thing or two. He won't get away with this." He would ignore his name for now, as he focused on something far more important.

The gathered pirates eyed their captain in the body he had been switched to, and the crew member that was in his own body apologized, "Sorry captain, I didn't think the warlord would do this."

Mediocre put his hands on his hips, "Never mind that, we should have known better than to try and defy a warlord."

The crew exchanged glances, knowing that the crew mate was actually apologizing for Captain Mediocre ending up in her voluptuous body. No one said anything, because the other two women in the crew were practically daring them to try and get their captain to show off his temporary body. It was an unspoken rule amongst the Mediocre Pirates to look but not touch, and the men were so grateful to see something feminine on the sea every day that they acquiesced to the request.

Captain Mediocre was currently thinking of revenge for what had been done to himself and his crew. He waved the sword he'd retrieved from his body high in the air, "Let's go make that damn warlord pay! Straw Hat too, for not even acknowledging our existence!"

The crew roared their agreement. Mediocre might be a coward, but he was unstoppable once he made his mind up.

Chopper, even though he had sympathized with the other pirate group's plight, felt that he needed to warn his friends. He changed into his Walk Point once again, and, with a single bound, leapt through the undergrowth and right past the pirates.

The Mediocre Pirates watched as Chopper got further away from them, before someone spoke aloud, "Do you think this place is cursed?"

Mediocre snorted, "Don't be stupid. It was just an animal."

"But captain, it was wearing clothes and carrying a bag!"

There was a short silence as that sunk in, before another of the crew spoke up.

"It kind of resembled the animal that was with Straw Hat."

Mediocre swung the sword again, changing his mind, "After the animal! It'll lead us to Straw Hat and the others!"

The crew fell into step after their captain in his currently very attractive form, shouting and hollering as they bore down on their target.

Chopper, galloping further ahead, panicked again now that he was actually being chased, "Ahh! Why're they following after me?! I thought they were looking for Luffy or Law!"

-x-

Approximately two hours of hiking through a heavily wooded area made Kidd think that he should have considered staying behind on the ship after all. He had to pause every so often, stopped by a coughing fit. When it passed, Kidd felt less than pleased, and wondered what the bloody hell was wrong with his body. He had gotten all the sea water out, hadn't he? Maybe he should have taken that rest, but he wasn't going to, because Trafalgar had been the one to suggest it, as well as that weird animal from Straw Hat's crew. Kidd took a steadying breath and continued on. Whatever. He wouldn't be able to show his face to his crew if a little thing like almost dying interfered with his day to day activities.

Kidd looked up sharply as he heard something coming closer, the rustling sound becoming louder and louder. Kidd clenched his right hand, feeling around for anything metal in the area. Before he could settle on the metal that he was sensing, a fucking enormous reindeer came bolting out of the surrounding trees, plowing right into him. Kidd was hit with enough force that it knocked him over to the ground on his back, his breath driven out of his body for the second time that day.

"What the hell was that for?" Kidd coughed and gasped for air, propping himself up on his shoulders as his eyes focused on the small reindeer sprawled on his chest. Even Straw Hat's crewmates were crazy, it seemed.

Chopper shook himself out of his daze, and took stock of where he was. He'd run into something…Chopper let out a little 'eep' and scrambled off the irritated red head. "Ah! Sorry! I was running from other pirates!"

Kidd frowned down at the other, "But you _are_ a pirate." Kidd blinked, and then scowled. Why the fuck would he care about something stupid like that? He was being distracted from his quest to find Trafalgar and Straw Hat.

"Oh!" Chopper realized that he had run into Kidd, whom he had left the ship to find in the first place. Chopper completely forgot about the fact that he was being chased, "A…Are you all right?"

"Go away, I'm fine."  The annoying creature was still worried about his health? Kidd let out a huff, "A little cough like this ain't gonna kill me." As soon as the words slipped out, Kidd was hit with another coughing fit, this time bad enough that it caused him to partially collapse from his propped up position.

"See?" Chopper said worriedly, moving forward to try and help, only to freeze in place as the Mediocre Pirates caught up with him.

"Hey animal! Take us to Straw Hat!"

"No, to the warlord! Get him to change us back to normal!"

Chopper jumped comically, his arms waving in panic, "I'd already forgotten about them!"

The Mediocre Pirates came to a grinding halt upon spotting Kidd and his scowling visage. They sure as hell knew who the red head was, and none of them had a death wish. However, as soon as they noticed that Kidd hadn't made a move to attack, and deduced that Kidd appeared to not be feeling well, caution was thrown out the window. The overconfidence that followed was a very, very bad idea to the continued health and existence of the Mediocre Pirates.

"You look like shit, Captain Kidd." Mediocre said nastily, idly twirling his sword as he took in the sight, "Maybe our rep would soar if we took care of someone with such a high bounty as yourself."

The crew backed up their captain. No one realized that with every word that left their mouth, they were only hastening their own demise, because Kidd would not take the verbal abuse lying down, no matter how shitty he was feeling.

"Yeah, he don't look too tough now."

"What's the matter, big guy? You lose a fight and can't go on living?"

"Careful boys, he looks like he's gonna attack."

"Looks more like he's gonna keel over."

"You need a nap, _kid_?"

If the Mediocre Pirates thought they could do anything to capture or defeat Kidd, they were living in another universe. They'd already sealed their fate, starting with their captain's first snide comment.

Kidd was beside himself with rage that these fools were daring to insult him. Livid, Kidd drew in jeering pirates' weapons with a flare of his power. The weapons were wrenched from the other pirates' grasp, pulled toward Kidd's outstretched right hand, until the red head gritted out a single word, "Repel."

The weapons he had drawn in with his Devil Fruit powers were sent flying through the air at the gathered pirates, the blades slashing and the guns firing at random. The manipulated weapons injured any who were unable to dodge, and the Mediocre Pirates realized their mistake too late. Their only consolation was that since Kidd was not feeling his best, no one happened to die. Those injured dropped to the ground and beat a hasty retreat after the non-injured members, hoping they could get out of range of their weapons, which were still swinging and going off at random as Kidd manipulated them.

Chopper was terrified as he dodged out of range of the erratic attack, and watched as the last of the Mediocre Pirates scrambled away. Chopper let out a sigh of relief as the weapons fell out of the air and to the ground several feet away. "I thought you were going to kill them!"

Kidd made a face, displeased, "I missed."

A chill went down Chopper's spine at Kidd's admission that he had been trying to kill the other pirates. Shaking his head, Chopper spoke, "You need to rest."

Kidd actually did feel rather shitty after stomping around through the forest. Kidd rested his back against a nearby tree as he let out a frustrated sigh. "I thought that the walk would make me feel better, not worse."

"You do realize your current condition is entirely your own fault?" Chopper commented, though he didn't say how as he removed his backpack and dug around in it. He had changed into his Horn Point form, to better grab the item he was after.

The form change made Kidd stare hard at Chopper, "You're a Zoan type Devil fruit user?

Chopper nodded absently as he took out the bottle he was looking for, "Yes, I ate the human-human fruit." Chopper opened the bottle and shook out a pill, before offering it to Kidd.

Kidd stared at the pill dubiously, before he looked away, "I already said I felt fine." Kidd twitched as Chopper held a hand to his forehead.

"You're not feeling well because you have a fever." Getting a blank look in return, Chopper added, "This island's climate brought it on. Your body wasn't able to fight off the fever because it was still weakened from you nearly drowning." Chopper dropped his hand and offered the pill again, "You will feel better if you take this pill and some compound medicine." The pill was plucked from his hand, and Chopper watched the other take it with a careful eye, and felt he needed to clarify, "You need to take more of a rest to let the pill take effect."

Kidd considered rising, but the sudden fever that he had come down with was bad enough that he wanted it gone, and waited, seeing if the pill would actually work. Kidd watched Chopper change back to his small form and put together a mixture of a few herbs from his bag into a sticky looking paste using a small bowl to grind the stuff together. Kidd thought it looked disgusting, and he leaned away when Chopper offered the liquidly, mushy goop to him, "I ain't eating that shit! You tryin' to poison me?"

"But it'll help with the cough you have!" Chopper insisted, wondering why Kidd was being so stubborn about taking advice from someone who knew what they were doing. He was a doctor, after all, and he was pretty sure that Kidd wouldn't know what was good for him if it hit him over the head. His scars alone told Chopper that Kidd didn't exactly go around seeking medical attention.

"No." Kidd refused, before almost instantly coughing. Damn. This was getting old…Kidd grunted as Chopper changed his form again, this time into his Kung Fu Point, and leapt at Kidd with the bowl, "Hachaa! Take it! You'll feel better!"

"What the fuck?!" Kidd snapped as he fell sideways onto the ground after Chopper thwacked him in the gut. Wasn't the little bastard a doctor? Why the hell would he hit him in an attempt to give him medicine?

The two wrestled around on the ground, and it was a testament to Kidd feeling absolutely wretched that Chopper was able to pin him down and force the herbal mixture down the red head's throat, despite his vehement protests.

Kidd felt the disgusting taste go down his throat, and he let out a low growl of rage. How dare some damn animal get the upper hand over him! The weight of the other left, and Kidd lashed out blindly with his artificial left arm. He struck nothing, and ended up collapsing on his back.

Chopper had changed back into his smaller form, managing to avoid the strike, and went to hide behind a nearby tree. Chopper didn't seem to notice that his hiding wasn't being done very well, because he was peering out from behind it the wrong way, but since Kidd wasn't exactly going to be coming after him, it didn't matter.

Kidd remained on his back as he closed his eyes, coughing faintly. He was silent for a few minutes, before he spoke up, sensing that Chopper was still nearby, "What is that pill…supposed to do?"

Chopper's voice quietly responded from behind the tree, "It'll reduce your fever, but the side effect is that it will make you sleepy."

Kidd let out a self-deprecating laugh, still not able to comprehend that he had been dealt with so easily; no matter how bad he happened to be feeling. The Straw Hat's crew was crazy, no doubt about that. What normal person stuffed something down someone else' throat against their will? Kidd let out a frustrated sigh. He could already feel the pill starting to take effect, and there wasn't much he could do to fight that. Kidd strained to stay awake, but couldn't help but drift off, the pill putting him under quickly.

As soon as Kidd was snoring softly, Chopper realized with a jolt that the pirates from earlier could come back, and that he had essentially left Kidd defenseless. Chopper sat down, tense and worried about the Mediocre Pirates coming back to attack. It didn't even occur to him that he could have easily defeated them in one of his other forms.


	5. Storm Detour 3

Chopper leapt to his feet after what seemed like a very long time of fretting, when in reality it had only been around ten minutes. Chopper had thought he had been imagining someone moving amongst the surrounding trees, but now he could tell for certain. The rustling and crunching he was hearing was coming closer, and that meant that someone was drawing nearer. Before Chopper could even begin to decide what to do, those causing the rustling were revealed. Chopper was beside himself with relief as he threw himself at the nearest person, "Usopp! I was so scared I didn't know what to do!"

Usopp caught the flying reindeer doctor, and glanced down at Kidd, backing a few feet away, "Did he attack you?" At least Kidd appeared to be asleep, which was a good thing, because Usopp did not want the other to start a fight.

"No, other pirates did. They ran off though, after Kidd chased them away." Chopper decided to omit the fact that Kidd had been trying to kill the Mediocre Pirates, as Usopp already looked upset enough. Chopper turned his attention to the other person that had come along, "I thought you were going to stay on the ship, Brook."

The skeleton pirate twirled his cane, laughing, "Yohohoho! And miss the sights of a new island?" Brook glanced down at Kidd, who was snoring with his mouth slightly open, "I couldn't believe it when he showed up. It sent a shiver down my spine." Brook paused, and then added, "Even though I have no nerves there."

"What were you doing, Chopper? Why did you run off earlier?" Usopp questioned as he set Chopper down.

Chopper scuffed the ground, slightly embarrassed, "I thought someone was chasing me." He waved a paw at Kidd, "And I was going after him, because he really should have stayed on the ship, since he wasn't feeling well."

Usopp would have had something to say about that, had it not been for the reappearance of the Mediocre Pirates, who were not at all happy with the way things were going for them.

As soon as they spotted Usopp, they started to dash toward him, shouting and waving weapons they'd retrieved from the ground, "Look! Another of Straw Hat's crew! Get him!"

Usopp's jaw dropped, "Are you kidding me?" A shot fired over his head, and Usopp turned and ran away, arms in the air as he yelled as he was pursued, "Where did they come from?!"

"Usopp!" Chopper hastily took out a scrap of paper, scribbled on it, and placed it on Kidd's chest. Setting two vials next to Kidd containing the herbal medicine, Chopper glanced up to see that Usopp had caught a few of the pirates off guard, if the vines twisting and twining around a few of them was anything to go by. Chopper scrambled to catch up with Usopp, and together they ran, looking for a clearing to fight in. Chopper's voice echoed back, "Brook! Keep an eye on Kidd and make him take some of that medicine when he wakes up!"

Brook was left behind with a still sleeping Kidd. The musician rested his cane over his shoulder, staring up at the green foliage around him reflectively. He knew that Chopper and Usopp could take care of themselves from the pathetic-looking band that had gone by. It was very quite now though. Maybe he could liven things up a bit.

Brook walked over toward the nearest tree, and abruptly tipped over against it, "45 degrees!" There was no response but for the chirping of some confused bird overhead. Brook righted himself, and stared around anxiously, before he spoke aloud, "There's no one around to see me." Brook tilted his head to look down at Kidd, "I wonder why he's asleep. That's quite odd." He rested his cane on the ground, "I suppose I'll have to keep watch. I wouldn't want to have the flesh torn off me by some vicious beast." Brook sighed at the thought, and then perked up as he realized the irony and laughed, "I have no flesh for them to eat. I guess I don't have anything to worry about! Yohohoho."

-x-

Usopp and Chopper had managed to come across a small clearing with conveniently laid out boulders in the center of the island, where a small cave could be seen in the small mountain. The two friends decided to ignore the fact there was a mini mountain the middle of such a small island, as the layout was perfect to duck behind something to avoid the Mediocre Pirate's attempts to strike them.

Chopper had shifted into his Kung Fu Point once more, and was laying waste to the nearest pirates that came at him, "Hwatcha! Take this! And that!" Pirates went flying in different directions, cursing as they flew short distances through the air. Chopper would beat a retreat when the guns would go off, and the bullets would ping harmlessly off the solid boulders. When they were reloading, that was when Chopper would fly back into action.

Usopp popped up from behind some boulders nearby, slinging seed after seed at the pirates that Chopper wasn't dealing with, "Special attack: Sleep Star!" The sleep inducing attack, as well as various other plants that came forth, caused confusion amongst the pirates who weren't engaged in a fight with Chopper. Usopp was ridiculously pleased with himself with the way this battle was going, "Hahaha! How's that? You're no match for a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp dropped down with a yelp as a blade went whizzing over his head. Maybe he should wait to boast for when the enemy retreated.

Mediocre and his crew had had enough with a few more carefully slung Pop Green Seeds and Chopper's strikes. Those still able to move under their own power turned tail and fled, leaving behind some of the more injured crew to lay sprawled on the ground to recover.

Chopper and Usopp relaxed as the former changed back into his smaller form, and the latter laughed, as if he hadn't almost been struck in the face by a very sharp blade.

"We must be getting even stronger, Chopper! Those guys were no match for us!"

Chopper grinned cheerfully at his friend, while at the same time checking him over to see if he had been injured at all in the brief struggle. He wasn't going to break the news to Usopp that pretty much anyone with a small amount of power could beat the Mediocre Pirates. Chopper, satisfied that both of them had come out unscathed, turned to face the direction they had come from. "I want to go back and make sure that Brook is all right. I didn't think about Kidd waking up and seeing someone else. He might attack if he is still disoriented."

"Brook will be fine. He _is_ a skeleton. I don't think that other guy could actually cause him any lasting harm." Usopp thought it over, before he looked uneasy, "Unless he breaks his bones."

Chopper began to walk back at that, "I'd feel better going back and checking on them. Then I want to go find Luffy and tell him about those other pirates. They don't seem to be dangerous, but I want to warn him about them anyway."

Usopp fell into step next to Chopper, "Were they the guys on that other island that Luffy went plowing past?"

"Yeah." Chopper was silent for a moment, "I hope Kidd takes the medicine I left for him."

"Don't worry about it. Devil Fruit users are hardy."

Chopper sighed, "I suppose so, but to not take suggestions from a doctor is a little worrying. I wonder how he survived all those attacks that gave him those scars…" Chopper stopped talking abruptly as a large hybrid creature came out of the foliage to drop down in front of them. The blue nosed reindeer took one look at it, before turning and running, Usopp joining him as the two of them freaked out.

"Ahh! What is that thing?!"

"I don't know, but run before it eats you!"

Mediocre and his crew watched the two Straw Hats' progress of being chased by a hungry beast, before he glanced back at his crew. Those gathered were the ones who hadn't been too badly injured from Usopp and Chopper's attacks, or previously, Kidd's. "We're going after them!" Seeing his crew nod in agreement, he failed to notice that a few of the crew were giving his current body's backside appreciative looks.

Mediocre missed the sight of one of the female crew members swatting another over the head as he called to his injured crew mates, "Go back to the beach. We'll go there and meet up once we've found the warlord!"

A few of the wounded crew wondered why Mediocre was even bothering. It was obvious that they weren't going to be able to coerce Trafalgar Law into changing them back, but they didn't have the heart to tell their captain, what with how fired up he was.

-x-

Law was again at a loss with the way the Straw Hats functioned as a crew. He stayed well back, eyeing the scene that was slowly getting more and more stupid. The Heart Pirate couldn't even figure out why Straw Hat was upset with Zoro in the first place. What had started as the swordsman and the cook arguing who had killed the larger animal had turned into something incredibly petty.

"You chased the food away, Zoro!" Luffy accused his crew mate, profoundly upset that he wasn't able to eat the two dead animals, both of which had looked so tasty.

Zoro was insistent in his defense, "It wasn't my fault that it got away. One of them had spikes on it, so it wouldn't have tasted good anyway!" Zoro dodged a punch from an infuriated Luffy, using the flat of one of his blades to block another blow, "And it _isn't_ my fault that another larger animal took both of the corpses! You're the one that was so fixated on them in the first place, that you should have been able to stop it!"

Law stared wordlessly as Luffy and Zoro began to fight with one another about who was to blame for another animal carting off the corpses. This had to be the stupidest reason for a fight Law had ever witnessed, and he was surprised that the cook, standing nearby, was not at all concerned that his crew mates had begun to brawl with one another.

Zoro took the sudden fight in stride as he drew another katana and bit down on it, the third being drawn to cross with the first to block another furious punch from Luffy. Zoro strained against his blades and sent Luffy flying back a few yards, and struck a fighting stance, "If it'll take a fight to convince you, fine, have it your way!"

"You still let the meat get away, you jerk! No matter what you say!"

Law silently watched as Luffy and Zoro flung themselves at each other, Straw Hat parrying the swordsman's katanas with rapid jabs of his fists. The sanity of Straw Hat and his crew was definitely coming back into question. Not that it hadn't already. The Heart Pirate turned to Sanji, who had lit a cigarette and was puffing away at it, watching the fight in front of him with only a passing interest. "Aren't you worried that they might hurt each other?"

Sanji shrugged, stepping aside as Luffy came flying past to smack into a tree, "They're just working out a disagreement. They'll be fine, even if they get a bit beaten up in the process."

The cook's sanity was definitely worrisome with an answer like that. This kind of fighting obviously wasn't normal. Most people would talk things out, though Law had to admit that pirates were more likely to fight things out to settle any disagreements. What he was witnessing was just over the top.

Luffy leapt away from the tree he had been thrown against, swinging his fist at Zoro, "Gum Gum Jet Pistol!"

Zoro rocked back on his feet as he took the attack with crossed blades, biting down hard on the hilt in his mouth as he redirected the force and sent Luffy flying again.

Luffy righted himself in the air and landed, stomping the ground, "Second Gear!"

Zoro's eye widened a bit. So Luffy was being serious after all. Zoro smiled around the katana clenched between his teeth in anticipation. This should be interesting. It'd been awhile since he and Luffy had fought with one another.

Luffy launched himself forward, almost too fast for the eye to see, swinging his arms forward rapidly as he struck at Zoro again, "Gum Gum Jet Gataling!"

Zoro grimly brought up his blades to block the furious tirade of fists, angling his weapons this way and that. Zoro merely let out a soft grunt when a few punches managed to find their way past his defenses. As soon as Luffy leapt away, Zoro lunged forward, angling his blades in preparation for his attack, before he swung them, "Dragon Twister."

Luffy twisted in midair to avoid the main brunt of the attack, though he still took a few scratches here and there from the twister that had been created. He and Zoro completely ignored the damage being done to the forest around them as they focused on one another, neither backing down. So focused on their fight, they hadn't even realized that the animal that had taken the corpses away earlier had come back for more.

Law shook his head at the level of insanity going on around him as he drew forth his blade and walked toward the beast. With two swift slashes, Law killed the creature before it could reach Luffy and Zoro. Law didn't realize that by killing the animal, he had brought the brief tussle to the end, and had ended up making himself a target of ire. It didn't take long for the Heart Pirate to regret what he had just done.

Law's shoulder was jostled by Luffy, who had landed next to him, and just like that, Straw Hat promptly forgot his duel with Zoro to drool at the tasty looking dead animal. Law tried very hard not to be amused by Straw Hat's excited visage, but failed as he ended up smiling anyway when Luffy raced off to look for wood in the damaged area of the forest caused by Zoro's attack. No doubt to make a fire to roast the fresh meat.

It took Law a few moments to realize that Straw Hat's crewmates were staring at him and throwing him dirty looks. The Heart Pirate didn't quite understand that since he had been the one to kill the largest animal between the three of them, Sanji and Zoro weren't happy that he had one-upped them, while doing it with such bored finesse.

Law raised up his drawn blade to block a kick from Sanji, and then a two strike hit from Zoro. Law was utterly confused by their words, completely unprepared for them to both attack him like this out of the blue.

"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!" Sanji turned and lashed out with a leg, doing a somersault in the air when Law launched him away.

"I was in the middle of something!" Zoro told the Heart Pirate irritably, crossing his katana and catching Law's blade between them.

Law set his jaw as Sanji ran forward to join back in, and readjusted the grip on his weapon. The Heart Pirate deflected blows, and dodged them when he could, waiting patiently for an opportunity to create a room so he could try and diffuse the situation. He could only hope that Luffy would remain distracted by the prospect of a meal. Law resigned himself to the sudden attack, wincing as his left arm took a solid kick from Sanji, luckily managing to avoid getting cut in the same place by the swordsman. Law grimly continued to parry the blows, and decided that yes, the Straw Hat crew were utterly insane, if they all started fights over such asinine things.

The only thing that could possibly make this worse was if Kidd happened to show up, though perhaps if he did, Eustass would see for himself first hand just how crazy the Straw Hat Pirates really were.

-x-

Kidd woke refreshed and feeling better than he had in quite some time. He glanced around briefly, wondering if the annoying creature was still around. Since the red haired pirate didn't feel like he was going to keel over anymore, he felt that he needed to regain some semblance of control by making sure that Straw Hat's pet never tried to overpower him like that ever again. It was nearly as bad as Trafalgar giving him CPR...

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning. Or afternoon, as I suppose it is now."

Kidd looked up sharply as he straightened up against the tree, catching the sight of Brook leaning over him slightly. The red head realized that it had been him that had spoken. Kidd narrowed his eyes, his right hand flexing against the ground, "Where the hell did you come from?"

Brook straightened up and tilted his head, "That's a silly question. We were on the same ship not too long ago."

Kidd stared at the skeleton silently, until he realized that yes, he had caught a glimpse of the being before him on the ship, fiddling away at a violin and singing something rather atrocious. Kidd scowled at his answer from Brook not being very clear, "Another Devil Fruit user? I guess you'd have to be, to move around like that. It ain't normal."

Brook wasn't offended with Kidd's assessment, as he offered a faint bow, "I did indeed eat a Devil Fruit. The revive-revive fruit, to be precise, I…"

Kidd tuned Brook out as he took a look around, and since he didn't feel like he was burning up with a fever anymore, that meant that either the short rest or the medicine the Straw Hat's doctor had given him had done its job. The cough appeared to be gone as well, which was a relief that Kidd would never willingly admit out loud. A crinkle of paper caught his attention, and Kidd picked it up with one hand, speaking aloud and interrupting whatever it was that Brook had been talking about, "What's this?"

Brook glanced at the indicated item, "Ah, Chopper left that for you."

Kidd read the short scribbled letter silently, and got the gist of it. The little reindeer wanted him to take it easy for a little while, and take the herbal medicine two more times that day, one now, and one later in the evening. Kidd scoffed and discarded the paper as he stood up, completely ignoring the herbal mixture in the small vials near where he had been lying down.

"Do you feel well enough to get up? I thought Chopper suggested that you rest a little longer?"

What was with Straw Hat and his crew pestering him about his well-being and taking care of himself? It made him feel very uncomfortable, and he disliked the feeling. Kidd sized Brook up, and before he could stop himself, grumbled irritably, "When was the last time you got sick?"

Brook laughed merrily, tickled by the question with such an obvious answer, "I can't get sick, because I have no organs."

Kidd walked off. This was stupid and a waste of time, and the pirate captain couldn't even bring himself to bother driving Brook off, even though the skeleton followed after him.

A half hour later...

Kidd was still being followed by the irritating skeleton. By this time, Kidd was considering whether it would be worth it or not to make Brook leave him alone already. The red head was delayed in making the decision, because he started to hear what sounded like a battle going on up ahead. Kidd picked up his pace, a smile spilling across his face. Finally, something interesting was going on. Since Straw Hat was on the island, he was betting that the very loud commotion that was directly before him was his doing.

Kidd slowed his walk minutes later as soon as he began to hear the sounds of a fight more clearly, and shouts coming from someone, most likely Straw Hat.

"That sounds like Luffy and the others. I wonder what could be going on." Brook commented, still trailing along after Kidd.

Kidd smirked, and not because of the skeleton that had suddenly drawn level with him. Instead, he was amused about something else. It seemed like Trafalgar hadn't been able to keep the noise level down, at all. That shouting was probably carrying all over the island. Kidd emerged into a clearing, and since he didn't know what to make of the scene before him, he hung back and observed it.

It was quite a show, if nothing else, and from where he was standing, he was out of range of Trafalgar's Devil Fruit powers. The thin dome before Kidd engulfed Law, Straw Hat, and two of the three people that followed after Luffy.

Brook turned his head to and fro, "I wonder where Nami is."

"Who cares?" It was the woman's problem if she ran into any trouble. Kidd settled against a tree to watch the fight, wondering whether he should join in, and if so, when. It looked like too much fun to stay out of the fight altogether, and Kidd felt that he could use a good challenge.

-x-

Law was breathing heavily from dodging the cook and the swordsman, but he had been able to cause some mischief to keep them off his back. In the moment that the other two had fallen into an argument of who got to fight the Heart Pirate, Law had quickly created a room, and swapped Zoro and Sanji's personalities. Law sheathed his nodachi, since he sensed that the sudden fight was over with for the time being. The Heart Pirate cast a glance over at the nearby massive and very dead animal, and wondered why killing it had irritated both of Staw Hat's crewmates. He'd merely saved them the trouble from arguing who would kill the beast. Their stupidity had been bothering him as well, so he had done it in self-defense of his mental well-being. Law was so caught up with the Straw Hats that he hadn't noticed that Kidd was lurking nearby, entertained with his ordeal.

It took Luffy a moment to realize that Law had swapped Sanji and Zoro's minds. As soon as he figured it out though, Luffy dropped the firewood he had found and collapsed to the ground as he laughed at his friends' unfortunate situation. He either didn't notice or completely ignored the glares tossed his way as he patted the dead animal, "Come on! Let's roast it and eat it!"

Law caught sight of the twin looks of anger that were thrown his way, but he haughtily ignored their silent demand to be switched back. The Heart Pirate wasn't particularly inclined to do so anytime soon, especially since his upper left arm was now sore and tingling from Sanji kicking it.

Before either of the switched men could launch any protests, they were drawn over to the animal by Luffy, who was impatiently waiting for them to cut it up. He had already gathered firewood together in a pile, and Law, watching all three silently, wondered what his chances were to slip away unseen. Relatively low, most likely.

Sanji fished a hand around in his body's pocket, but Zoro stopped him from drawing out a pack of cigarettes, the swordsman obviously not wanting the cook to smoke while in his body. Sanji took offense, and took it up with Zoro, while Luffy waited next to the firewood, grinning in amusement at his friend's antics.

"If I'm going to be stuck in your body I want a damn cigarette, moss head!" Sanji crossed his arms and glared at himself. The click of the three katana against his body was distracting, and they felt rather heavy, but as it was Zoro's body, the weight was nothing.

Zoro glared in return, "I don't want your poison in my system. Why the food doesn't smell like your cigarettes, I'll never know."

"Hey! Zoro! Sanji! Come on! The meat! The meat!"

Zoro and Sanji glowered at one another, but dropped their issues with one another to assist their captain with lighting the firewood. Sanji pulled out the lighter from a pocket in his body's jacket, drawing a look from Zoro. Sanji ignored him as he got the fire going, and froze when Zoro drew one of the katana from its sheathe.

Law frowned, settling against a nearby tree. He had dropped the use of his powers, as it had been depleting his stamina. Law figured that since there was no fight to be had, there was no reason to maintain the room. It was kind of fascinating to watch the swordsman in the cook's body cut up the dead animal with a katana. It was a bizarre sight, and the fact that it didn't faze Straw Hat in the least bit was unsurprising.

Law was more susceptible to surprise himself, when someone suddenly came up alongside him without a sound. Law whipped his blade out of its sheathe and aimed to the right without a second's thought, and came into contact with something metal. Law glanced to the side, and found that his blade was being blocked by Kidd's metallic arm. Law returned Kidd's scowl before he spoke up, "Keep your sneaking to a minimum, Eustass-ya, unless you want to be run through."

Kidd grinned nastily as he easily kept Law's blade from moving, "I wouldn't get so cocky about your abilities, Trafalgar. You're not even in one of your little rooms right now."

Law hid the fact that he was straining to keep his nodachi against Kidd's arm, "Your abilities are nothing compared to mine, especially if there isn't any metal around for you to manipulate.

Kidd's eyes danced dangerously as he considered the blade he was blocking, "There's always going to be some kind of metal around."

Law tensed at the crazed look in the other's eyes. Well, damn, Law hadn't exactly meant to set him off. Wait...maybe he did. The Heart Pirate supposed that Straw Hat must have rubbed off on him, because he wasn't as concerned about the fact that Kidd towered over him by a few inches, looking murderous as he shoved Law's weapon away. Law stood his ground, for the time being, and that was when Straw Hat thought it was a wonderful idea to come over and pester them.

"Hey! You guys!" Luffy came up between Law and Kidd, oblivious to the sparks flying between them as he patted both of the taller men on the shoulders inquiringly, "Do you want some meat?" Luffy paused as he thought about it, before he amended, "Only a little, though."

Kidd twitched as the patting from Straw Hat jostled him, and turned his crazed look to Luffy, teetering dangerously on the side of exploding and murdering everyone in the vicinity. Straw Hat just had to come over and make a nuisance of himself, and Kidd was irritated that Luffy had the gall to ask him if he wanted food when he was obviously preoccupied with something else. The decision of whether he wanted to beat the Heart Pirate down a peg or two or not. The gratefulness of being saved from drowning was all but gone by now, after over two hours of hiking through the forest and nearly hacking up a lung on top of that. Not to mention the reindeer doctor forcing medicine down his throat. His patience was all but gone. Not that he had much to begin with.

Law was wearing a highly exasperated expression. On one hand, he was relieved that Straw Hat had distracted Kidd, but on the other hand, he was also annoyed with Luffy for interfering in what was obviously an argument that had nothing to do with him. Law chanced a peek out of the corner of his eyes at Kidd, and tensed up ever so slightly. The other pirate captain was flexing his right hand in anticipation of a fight, and Law winced as Straw Hat jostled his sore left arm. That was it. Law's patience had run its course, and to hell with the alliance if the actions he was about to take wrecked his plans. He just couldn't take this kind of treatment anymore.

Law tightened his grasp on Kikoku's hilt as he managed to catch Kidd's eyes, and indicated Luffy with a slight tilt of his head.


	6. Storm Detour 4

Luffy missed the silent look that had been shared between Law and Kidd. Luffy did notice, however, when both of the other captains shook him off their shoulders and moved in for an attack with no word of warning. Luffy grinned, unfazed by this response, as he dodged out of the way of Kidd's mechanical arm taking a swing at him.

Law held his left hand forth as Kidd continued to pursue Straw Hat around the clearing, "Room." A dome encircled all three captains, as well as Sanji and Zoro, who had at first looked like they would intervene, until both decided that they had a problem with the other using their body in a fight.

"Hey! Don't touch my katana! You can't even use them, you useless cook!" Zoro swung his leg at Sanji, who blocked with a katana he had just drawn. Neither said a word about having been able to counter one another with their respective abilities.

"In case you didn't notice, Luffy is fighting with two other pirate captains, one of whom is a warlord, and Luffy isn't taking it seriously at all!" Sanji took the opportunity to fish out the cigarettes from his body's pocket when Zoro had started to draw back. Sanji tossed the katana at Zoro to distract him, and bit down on the cigarette as he lit it. Blowing out a puff of smoke, Sanji sighed, "That's better." He leapt to the side as Zoro swung the katana at him.

"What did I tell you about smoking with my body?"

Sanji ran off into the surrounding forest, Zoro hot on his heels. The two were now preoccupied with their own troubles, and didn't think about the implications of leaving their captain to fend for himself against two highly irate men. Not that they didn't think Luffy could handle himself.

-x-

Mediocre was on a mission, and he refused to let any complications hold him back. Even though his crew had been dwindled down to only himself and four able bodied men, they were going to continue their pursuit of Usopp and Chopper, who were still being chased by a large creature.

That was when the Mediocre Pirates were foiled in their goal yet again. They had no time to react other than to make incensed sounds, as Zoro and Sanji came flying out of nowhere.

Sanji and Zoro had begun to fight with one another, leaving a path of destruction as they went. Zoro, who had drawn his remaining katana, was having trouble using the blades with Sanji's body, and Sanji was having similar difficulty aiming precise kicks at himself. The two had more or less gotten over the differences in their respective bodies after a few exchanged blows, and were beginning to go at one another with renewed vigor, as they adjusted to the changes.

The two were distracted briefly when they noticed that Chopper and Usopp were being chased by another beast, as well as some pirates that appeared to have something devious in mind. Sanji and Zoro exchanged glances with one another, before nodding in unison. They broke off from their sparring immediately, Sanji darting toward the small group of pirates, while Zoro went after the creature that was harassing Chopper and Usopp.

Zoro lifted two of his katana, and dashed toward the creature as he took a flying leap into the air. Biting down on the katana with a little difficulty whist in the cook's body, Zoro plummeted down, bringing the other two katana into their respective stances, "Three sword style…" Zoro came crashing down on the creature, swinging, "Ultra Tiger Strike!" When he saw that the creature collapsed to the ground with a tremendous crash, and was no longer a threat, Zoro landed on the ground and headed over to where Sanji was. He could see that the cook was already in the midst of taking care of the pirates with sharp kicks. Behind Zoro, Usopp and Chopper were in the middle of calling out their thanks, when they both fell silent as something occurred to them.

Usopp frowned, "Wait, why was Sanji using Zoro's katana?"

Chopper pointed over to where it looked like Zoro was kicking the pirates down and shouting something, "And why is Zoro doing that?"

"Head back to the ship!" Zoro called over his shoulder, though his crewmates took it to be Sanji as the one who told them that.

Chopper immediately rushed in the direction of the sea, followed closely by Usopp, "Okay, Sanji!"

"Hey, Chopper! Wait up!"

Zoro shook his temporary body's head, rather glad that his rapidly disappearing comrades hadn't realized that it was him that was stuck in the stupid cook's body. Zoro saw Sanji hesitate, and nearly rolled his eyes as he hurried forward, flipping one of his katana to hold the hilt forward. That damn cook had better not get _his_ body injured because he wouldn't strike down a woman. Zoro stepped up his pace when he saw Sanji hesitate again, and made it over in time to crack Mediocre over the head with the hilt of the katana.

Sanji whirled on the swordsman, enraged that Zoro had dared to attack a woman in his presence. With a swift kick that was caught against two crossed katana, Sanji resumed his spar with the swordsman.

The Mediocre Pirates in the clearing, watching as Zoro and Sanji went on their way, were even further demoralized than they had been before. With their captain unconscious, the three that were not laid low by Sanji made the decision to head back to the beach to regroup with the rest of their crewmates. Two of the pirates stooped to pick up Mediocre, while the remaining one picked up their other unconscious crewmate. As they made their way back to the beach, one of the Mediocre Pirates sighed wearily.

"This was a bad idea, wasn't it?"

Neither of the two men said anything, as they were mainly wondering just what they were supposed to now. The other thought that occupied their minds as they went along through the forest was why people felt the need to pick on them so much. They hadn't even done anything to draw Zoro or Sanji's attention.

It just wasn't fair.

-x-

Unbeknownst to Kidd and Law, both of whom were trying hard to land a hit on Straw Hat, Luffy was having an absolute blast. He wasn't taking the fight seriously at all, as Sanji had mentioned earlier. At least not at the moment. As Luffy dodged the other captain's attacks and returned them with punches and kicks, he let out a delighted laugh. He hadn't known that these two could be so much fun.

It soon registered in Kidd's mind that Luffy was treating this entire fight as a lark, and that made his anger rise further. Kidd stopped pursing Straw Hat around the clearing, and held up his arms, grinning maniacally. He'd wipe that smug smile from that damn brat's face soon. Kidd glared at Law as the Heart Pirate stood dirertly in his way.

"Get out of my way, Trafalgar, unless you wanna die too."

Law shot Kidd a cross look over his shoulder, "Do _not_ tell me what to do." Ignoring the dark scowl, Law was about to draw his nodachi, when all of a sudden, lighting struck from above, zapping all three men in the vicinity, and momentarily shocking the fight out of both Kidd and Law.

The lightning didn't cause any lasting damage to any of them, as it was more of a surprise than anything. Luffy was merely puzzled, since the lightning couldn't hurt him.

Nami appeared in the clearing, wielding her weapon, "Would you three stop acting so childish? If you're going to wander around the island, the least you could do is look for supplies and not waste time." She was tired from exploring the island, and was also very disappointed. She'd only been able to find a small bag of buried treasure, no doubt left behind quite some time ago. Nami had hoped there'd be more, and her mood wasn't improving by finding Luffy duking it out with the other pirate captains.

"Oh, okay! We were just getting the meat!"

Law had cooled off for the most part by now, moodily looking down at himself to see the state of his now singed clothing. A look of despair crossed the Heart Pirate's face as he took off and inspected his hat. He'd just fixed it not too long ago. With a woebegone sigh Law stuffed the hat back on his head, and rested his now sheathed blade against his shoulder as he eyed Nami, who was looking very cross.

Luffy continued to be cheerfully oblivious to Kidd's bloodlust, until he saw the red haired captain take a sudden swing at Nami, still caught up in a fury, and not at all pleased to be interrupted by being zapped. Luffy quickly ran forward, raising his hand up and back as he went to intercept the furious captain, "Gum gum…"

Kidd almost reached Nami when he heard something whistling through the air. He turned, but it was too late. Luffy's fist came abruptly into contact with his cheek, Straw Hat yelling as he smashed into him, "Jet Bullet!" Kidd was sent hurtling through the air, where he crashed into a tree and collapsed to the ground.  Kidd struggled to regain his breath, more infuriated than ever.

Acting as if he hadn't just sent Kidd flying, Luffy spoke to the slightly rattled Nami, "We can get other supplies when we're done here."

Nami spotted Kidd beginning to rise with a murderous snarl implanted on his features, and decided it would be in her best interest to not be there, "Where did Zoro and Sanji go? Didn't they come with you?"

Luffy pointed to the left, and once Nami had gone, he turned back to face Kidd and Law, who was to one side and eying Kidd warily.

Kidd brushed the back of his right hand against the cheek that Luffy had punched, before raising his head to meet the Straw Hat Pirate's eyes. Another manic gleam appeared in Kidd's eyes, and a dark smile split his face as he flexed his arms, "That was a stupid move, Straw Hat."

Luffy crossed his arms, "I won't let you hurt my friends."

Kidd bared his teeth in a silent snarl, before he picked himself up off the ground the rest of the way and flung himself at Luffy.

Law kept well out of the fight when he noticed that Straw Hat was taking this fight more seriously. He might have joined in, if not for the fact that Kidd was activating his Devil Fruit powers. Law leaned up against a tree, his arms and hands keeping a firm grasp on Kikoku, to prevent it from being drawn away by Kidd's powers. The Heart Pirate watched silently. He wondered how far the two of them would go. He beleived that Kidd couldn't resist a challenge, and Luffy wasn't about to back down now that he _was_ taking things seriously. A lopsided smile slipped across Law's lips as he tightened his hold on his nodachi. This was going to be quite interesting. Seeing Kidd get taken down a peg or two would be very entertaining.

Luffy landed on one side of the clearing, hands on his thighs as he shouted, "Gear two!" Steam started rising off him, and he rushed Kidd, swinging a fist at the other captain.

Kidd raised his metal left arm and blocked the punch, grinning at the other from behind it, "Don't disappoint me, Straw Hat." With a grunt of effort, he shoved Luffy away, and flexed his right hand, drawing forth a small amount of metal from around the immediate area. While it wasn't as much as he'd have liked, Kidd took what he could get and swung at Straw Hat. Kidd's features twisted into a sharp smile. Gouging Straw Hat with sharp metal bits should work against someone who was made out of rubber. Kidd ended up hitting nothing when Luffy suddenly wasn't there, "What?!" Kidd spun around in time to block another punch, and when he raised his own covered in metal, Straw Hat wasn't there again.

What in the hell?

Kidd turned to and fro, blocking attacks as soon as he sensed them coming toward him, but he couldn't keep up with whatever hellish speed Straw Hat was using. "Hold the fuck still so I can hit you!" Kidd let out a grunt as a punch connected with his gut, and flung him back a few feet.

Luffy paused briefly, "Nope!" With a wide grin, he sped up again, infuriating the other pirate captain even further.

Kidd snarled wordlessly and swung again, drawing one of his own blades as he did so. As soon as he sensed an attack, he turned and lashed out with the blade. It came into contact with Luffy's armament hardened fist, and Kidd cursed, as he couldn't cut through that. Dammit, this was not going how he wanted it to. Kidd swung the arm covered in metal again, but Luffy dodged both out of the way of the cluster of metal, as well as the jab Kidd did straight after with the blade he held.

Kidd was quickly getting tired of the light stepping that Straw Hat was doing, so he began to tear up the ground with the metal encrusted arm, thinking to make the footing uneven, and therefore stop that sneaky little bastard from running circles around him. Kidd smiled as Luffy stumbled on one of the deep gouges in the ground, and swung his arm before the other could recover. The attack connected this time, but Straw Hat managed to come away from it with only a few scratches to show for it. Kidd wanted more. He wanted to see just how much Straw Hat had improved from two years ago.

Luffy halted at the edge of the torn up ground, and eyed it for a moment, before he grinned at Kidd, "What were you trying to hit?" Luffy bit his finger, "You can't hit me if you just hit the ground."

Kidd watched as Luffy's whole arm suddenly enlarged, and he back stepped to avoid the gigantic fist. What he hadn't expected was for Luffy to change direction and strike him again, slamming him into another tree, where the back of his head cracked against it. Kidd rolled over to avoid another strike, and lashed out with the hand he still had metal around, cutting Straw Hat up a bit more.  It forced the other captain to change directions. Kidd couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of Law flying through the air after being inadvertently struck by Straw Hat. He laughed more loudly as the Heart Pirate rolled a few times, before he came to a halt where he lay flat on the ground, amidst the sound of Straw Hat apologizing.

"Ah! Sorry Traffy!"

Law made some grunt in the back of his throat, and rolled onto his side with a muffled groan. Damn, Straw Hat sure could pack a punch. Coughing, Law sat up, still holding his nodachi a death grip, because he could still feel Kidd pulling for weapons with his powers. Law looked at the two, and was considering if he wanted to join in now, or just move out of range.

"Stay out of this, Trafalgar!" Kidd snarled, noticing the look on Law's face as he went toward Luffy once more. Luffy swung around to face him, and the two exchanged blows, dealing out superficial wounds when they managed to get through the other's defenses.

Some time passed before Kidd and Luffy, wounded and weary, paused in their fight, which had become more of a sparring contest. Both of them were still on their feet, and were eying one another challengingly. They were quite capable of continuing the fight, but Luffy brought it to an end when he spoke, throwing off both Kidd and Law, who had decided to just watch the fight after all.

With a big, wide grin, Luffy addressed Kidd, "You should join our alliance, metal guy! It'll be fun!"

Silence followed the Straw Hat Pirate's words.

Kidd stared at Straw Hat's grin aimed his way, before he sneered, "Why would I want to do that? You've obviously done something to the doctor here, and that ain't gonna happen to me." Kidd crossed his arms, "Besides, I already made an alliance with two other crews.

"Yeah?" Luffy didn't seem to see a problem with making an alliance with another pirate captain, even one that was already in other alliances.

Law decided to push Kidd a bit, if only to try and see if the other would join in on the madness or not, "I would think that you would be interested in taking down the four emperors, wouldn't you?"

Kidd's scarred face took on an intrigued expression as he looked to Law for clarification.

Seeing that he had the other man's full attention, Law reluctantly explained, "I have a plan to bring down Kaido."

A smirk crossed Kidd's face, "That's a pretty lofty goal."

"Want to come along?"

Kidd lashed out at Luffy in response, and watched in silence as Straw Hat dodged away, still smiling. Kidd couldn't believe the balls on this guy, and finally cracked a faint smile as he responded, "I'll think about it."

Luffy took that for what it was, and his attention was drawn to the edge of the clearing, where Zoro and Sanji came crashing through the trees. Luffy began to laugh as the two went right for Law, and began to accost the Heart Pirate, demanding that he switch their bodies back, right this instant.

Law, wearing a disgruntled expression with Straw Hat laughing in the background, returned them to their bodies with a twist of his fingers. He hated the fact that not only was Straw Hat laughing at him, but Kidd was chuckling softly at him for giving in so quickly.

It was at this point that Kidd fell silent as realized that he had just fucking _smiled_ at Straw Hat earlier without any malice, and was now cracking up at something utterly ridiculous. He promptly put it from his mind. Kidd was not going to think about the potential that he could end up like Law.

-x-

Putting the few supplies they had gathered onto the ship had been a more or less silent affair, for which Law was incredibly grateful. Law watched as a few of the Straw Hats started chatting with one another, as the storm was still raging in the distance. Law figured they would be there for, at the very least, the night. Law glanced back at the forest on the island, and even though the sun had already begun to set, decided that he wanted to take a look into the island and its effect on him more carefully. Law located Chopper, who was standing near the railing of the ship, and spoke calmly as he joined the short Straw Hat Pirate, "I'd like to do some tests on plants and the soil of this island. There are some questions I have." Law tilted his head down to look at Chopper, "Care to join me?"

"Sure. I'm kind of interested in that too. I kept hearing a lot of noises, but then there was no explanation." Chopper looked up at Law quizzically, "Do you think there might be some plant that releases a toxin that might make people hallucinate?"

Law nodded, his eyes on the island, "That's my theory, and I'd rather find out if that's true sooner rather than later, in case we end up stranded here longer because of the storm."

Chopper headed toward the cabins, "Ok, let me get my bag."

-x-

Luffy watched as Law and Chopper left the ship, and, after a moment's thought, decided that he wanted to follow after them to see what they were up to. Luffy launched himself off the side of the ship again to follow after his friends, and no one on board the ship realized that Kidd had gone after them, because the crew had gathered in the cabin to discuss the weather and anything else of note.

-x-

"Anything else to be brought up?" Zoro questioned, glancing around the table at the others.

Robin looked across the table at Nami, "When do you think the weather will let up and we'll be able to set sail?"

Nami peeked out the nearby window, before swirling the glass of water in front of her, "It could still be going on tomorrow, but once it's over with, we'll be looking at clear skies with little to no clouds, and a decent wind." Nami took a sip of water, "I'd say it should be over with no later than tomorrow evening, so we should be able to get going by then."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Usopp said suddenly, remembering something that had happened earlier in the day, before he and Brook had gone to look for Chopper. Usopp turned in his seat to face Robin, "Did you find out anything about those stones you said you found?"

"Stones?"

Robin smiled faintly at the fact that those gathered were all staring at her, awaiting her response with a range of expressions, from indifference to curiosity. Robin set her hands on the table as she let slip a small frown, "It was odd. At first I thought they were nothing more than stones that had washed up on the beach, until I took a closer look at them." Robin drew out a wrapped shard of the aforementioned stone and set it on the table.  The black haired woman placed a finger on the stone itself, which drew a faint grimace, "I noticed that it was actually sea prism stone, but the odd thing was that it looked like it had been written on, but the writing had been chiseled almost entirely away, except for a few letters here and there." Robin drew her finger away from the shard and shook her head, "I can't begin to think what any of those letters could mean as a whole. The writing had been too damaged."

"It's weird to think that those stones would just happen to be on the beach. I thought sea prism stone was supposed to be hard to come across." Sanji commented, taking a brief pause in fawning over Nami and Robin to make a comment.

"I wonder what it means."

The crew fell into a thoughtful silence, none of them realizing that something sinister was about to take place on the island they were anchored near.

-x-

Law left Chopper to study some samples that they had obtained thus far, as he decided to go investigate the center of the island. The Heart Pirate wondered if he would be able to discover something from the small mountain that was there.  Law had been fairly certain that he had seen an entrance to a cavern as he had walked around the island earlier in the day. Law was able to locate the cavern fairly easily, and studied the dark entrance anxiously. There was really no need to be this thorough, but he figured that since they would at least be around until the next day, there was no harm in learning as much as he could. Plus it kept his mind on something else other than the fact that his plans were being all but completely ignored by Straw Hat and his crew.

Law paused mid-step as a faint rustling sounded in the trees behind him in the clearing that was before the cavern. Law studied the tree tops silently, before he shrugged it off, a little more motivated to find more samples now. He hadn't bothered to tell Chopper where he was going, because he figured he would be back before too long. After all, the sun had almost fully set, and the Heart Pirate assumed that the more dangerous beasts on the island would use the dark that would follow to prowl around for a meal.

Law entered the darkened cave, his senses on high alert. After studying the relatively small radius of the inside of the cavern, Law relaxed ever so slightly as he moved further inside. He stooped here and there as he made his way around the cavern, avoiding the large boulders as he went. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to be rummaging around in the semi-dark, but no animal had come leaping out at him yet. Law crouched near the back of the cave, obtaining a few small plants for testing that he stuck in a pocket.

So focused on what he was doing, Law failed to realize that a shadow had passed before the cavern entrance moments before. As the Heart Pirate stood up, thinking to head back, he was unprepared to find himself unable to move. Law strained forward, but couldn't budge from where he was immobilized. It almost felt as if something invisible were holding his limbs taut...

Law's stomach dropped as the implications of that struck him. The Heart Pirate took a sharp intake of air, as he felt himself suddenly forced to turn around, not at all in control of his body. Law fought the sensation futilely, and the invisible force seemed to strengthen, until it almost hurt to resist. Law's mind refused to accept the reality of what was happening.

No. He couldn't be here.It wasn't possible.

Law had been certain that the other had no idea where he or the Straw Hat Pirates were. The Heart Pirate captain was completely silent as he felt his body stop moving. He was forced to stand still, unable to move under his own power. Unwillingly, Law lifted his gaze up, and caught sight of the person responsible for his current predicament. The one person he hadn't wanted to see so soon, especially since he hadn't even really begun to set his plan fully into motion.

Doflamingo.

The blond haired man's limbs were sprawled comfortably against a few boulders right in front of the trapped Heart Pirate, completely at ease. One long hand was raised in the air in Law's direction, the fingers bent at odd angles. Doflamingo tilted his head as he considered Law, as if trying to decide what he should with the other man now that he'd caught the other off guard. By now a faint smile had appeared on his face, like he found Law to be highly amusing for some reason or another.

Law ground his teeth, as he had no doubt in his mind that the older man was quite content to keep him where he was for the time being. It wasn't like Law could free himself of the invisible string right now if Doflamingo didn't want him to.  As soon as Law made eye contact with the tinted glasses the blond haired pirate wore, Doflamingo's smile stretched into a terrifyingly wide grin.

"Fufufufufu. Hello, Law."


	7. Puppeteer 1

Law gave no response whatsoever to the greeting, instead reacting instantly as soon as it registered in his mind that it was Doflamingo in the cavern with him. Law flexed his left hand, his wrist not held by the string, "Room." Law doubted that it would do any good, but he didn't want to stay trapped unless there really was no escape. To his immense surprise, Law felt the strings slacken, and didn't stop to think whether or not Doflamingo was doing that on purpose.

Law swapped places with some nearby rocks, and landed a short distance away, free of the string and back in control of his body. Law scooped his nodachi up and took a swift peek over his shoulder. Law noted with some trepidation that Doflamingo looked unconcerned at his escape, merely crushing the rocks Law had swapped places with into small pieces with a wave of his hand and use of his Devil Fruit powers. The Heart Pirate threw himself around one of the larger boulders in the cave out of immediate eyesight as soon as he saw Doflamingo start to get up from his rocky resting spot. Law's gaze darted around the small cavern, before realizing with a jolt that the room he had created stretched outside of the cavern and into the forest.

Doflamingo's smile widened, flexing one of his hands as he prepared to lunge for the cavern entrance. It appeared as if he were amused to see someone as smart as Law make such stupid moves. Doflamingo already knew what limits Law's Devil Fruit powers had, so it followed that the Heart Pirate really should have known better than to think that he could escape so easily. Doflamingo had obviously felt like giving the younger man a little false hope before crushing it. It was only when he seemed to remember that Law didn't necessarily have to go out the entrance due to his powers that Doflamingo hastened to intercept the other.

Law teleported himself out of the cavern to hide to behind some trees near the cavern entrance, where he lay low, and out of sight, hoping that he would be able to avoid detection. Law didn't understand why Doflamingo had let him get away, until he stopped to think about it, and grasped that Doflamingo was just playing with him.

Taunting him.  Letting Law think that he had control of the situation, when in fact, it was the other way around.

Law started to walk through the forest at a brisk walk. It'd figure that that sick bastard would enjoy letting him think that he'd been able to slip free of the string of his own volition. Law came to the edge of the room he'd made with his powers, and dropped it, before instantly bringing forth another. He was going to transport himself to the other side of the island, ahead of Doflamingo. It'd wear him out and drain his stamina, but Law would make do.

He couldn't afford to be cornered.

Law created one room after another, unsure how long he could keep it up. Behind him, Law could hear Doflamingo careening through the trees overhead, and somehow found a new burst of energy as he fought to keep ahead of the blond. Exhaustion would be nothing if that meant he avoided Doflamingo's clutches.  Law reached the edge of the forest, where it connected to the beach. Law instinctively ducked down to catch his breath just yet. He heard something whistle through the air from overhead, which he hastily threw himself to one side to avoid.  Law dropped almost immediately afterward, and dodged backwards even further. Law missed the strike, but let loose a muffled curse. Going backward had only ended up forcing him onto the beach, where he lost traction in the shifting sands. Law's only consolation was that it wasn't the side of the island that Straw Hat and his crew were on. He dropped the room again, panting harshly as he lifted his left hand to call forth another one. Law figured that if he could just do a few more rooms…

The Heart Pirate hadn't realized that Doflamingo had caught up with him, since the other's attacks could potentially have come at him from a fair distance away. Doflamingo dropped down out of a nearby tree, closer than anticipated, and looked very displeased that Law gotten so far in the first place. As if the blond haired pirate were frustrated with the slip-up he had made by allowing Law to sneak away. Doflamingo spotted Law about to make another room, and acted accordingly. He was clearly not in the mood to allow the younger pirate get any further.

"Bullet String."

Law let out a cry of surprise as a string caught the side of his hand with punishing force, cutting the skin and momentarily distracting him as brief confusion took over. Doflamingo had been close enough that he could have pierced the Heart Pirate's hand through the middle had he so chosen to, but he hadn't. Before Law could figure out what that meant, he realized that his limbs were pinioned once again by Doflamingo's strings, and the blond was back in a relaxed posture, against a nearby tree, all the while wearing a patronizing smile.

"Going somewhere, Law?  It's been so long since we last met."  A grin.  "We haven't even had the chance to catch up."  Doflamingo flicked a finger, drawing forth an uncomfortable grunt from Law when the string around his wrists.  "We're on an island, where did you think you could go? Don't try that again, or I'll use a gun next time. I think you'll find it to be more damaging than you would expect." Doflamingo warned, losing his smile a little as he glowered at Law. He hadn't expected Law to maintain the room he had created for so long, or to call them up so quickly one after another. It had been a bit of a job to keep up with the other. Toying with Law and letting him believe that he could get away _had_ nearly allowed the brat to escape. It was convenient for Doflamingo that Law's powers had drained him, otherwise the Surgeon of Death could have potentially avoided the last attack, and continued to make him pursue him around in dizzying circles.

Law, still breathing heavily from the effort of raising and dropping so many rooms, subtlety tugged at the strings that were restricting his movement. Law fought down whatever panic might have otherwise shown. He didn't know what he had been thinking, since Doflamingo was right in the fact that there was nowhere to run. So unless he had wanted to lead Doflamingo back to the Thousand Sunny, he had essentially wasted his stamina futilely trying to stay ahead and out of reach of the blond. Perhaps that hadn't been the best of ideas.

"Now then, Law..."

Law was trapped, as he was certain that Doflamingo wasn't going to make another error in judgment and allow him to try and slink away again. Law doubted that he would be going anywhere until Doflamingo let him go, which was unlikely to occur. Law didn't like to think what Doflamingo had in mind after he'd blackmailed him into resigning as a warlord. The taller man had a lot to lose, and to worry about, if Kaido came after him, so it would follow that Doflamingo would be furious with him.

Law continued to test the string anyway, even if he was doubtful that there would be any give in the string again. Law figured that Doflamingo would have noticed his minute movements, but hadn't yet done anything to discourage them. The bastard was probably contemplating what do with him, and wasn't worried about Law escaping again. A little more emboldened by the fact that he could do so, Law tested the strength of the strings a little more obviously. At the same time, he wondered if he had enough energy to bring forth another room. Law could feel his hand smarting from Doflamingo's previous attack, and questioned if it would even be worth it to try again.

Doflamingo had noticed the movement, and allowed it, entertained by the other's efforts. Pointless and almost a little sad that Law thought he had a chance to free himself for a second time. When the struggles grew a little stronger to the point where Doflamingo could feel a faint give in the string, the smile on his face widened. Law really should know better than to even bother. Doflamingo had him trapped this time, and the younger pirate knew it, but was stubbornly refusing to admit it and give in. The blond bent his fingers a little, tightening the string's grip effortlessly.

The effect was instantaneous.

Law abruptly stopped moving when he felt the string's pressure increase, lest they dig into his skin further than they already had. Law let out a thin sound of protest intermixed with exasperation. He should have known better, but Law would take any chance he could to break free.

Doflamingo paid no heed to Law's obvious discomfort as he spoke causally, as if he hadn't almost allowed Law to get away, "You've got a lot of guts, trying to interfere with my business arrangement with Kaido." Doflamingo examined Law closely, as if expecting to the other to fess up immediately. The Heart Pirate should know that he had nowhere to go now, and delaying any response would only mean more pain for him to go through.  "What did you hope to gain, apart from sending Kadio after me should my business with him fall through?"

Law said nothing, knowing full well that he was in a very perilous position, and things could go badly if he didn't play things right. Doflamingo had him, and he hadn't even been able to put up a fight. He had tried to run instead. Not that Law thought he would have lasted very long had he actually fought with Doflamingo. Law grit his teeth, curling his uninjured hand into a fist. He was trying and failing to see any way he could get out of this situation, and the blond would no doubt grow weary of him holding his silence before too long.

"Not going to say anything? I suppose at the very least you've gotten a little more cunning." Doflamingo settled more comfortably against the tree, brushing his feathery coat absently with his free hand to rid it of traces of leaves. Law was being more defiant than he had anticipated, and while it was amusing, it was also irritating at the same time that the brat thought he could keep his silence. Doflamingo angled a few of the fingers on the hand he was using his Devil Fruit powers with as he laughed, "Your plan hasn't exactly gone the way you'd hoped, has it?" It was too bad that Law was being such a damn nuisance. It seemed as if Law really hadn't learned all that much in the past ten years. Very unfortunate, especially if the Heart Pirate thought he had actually had a chance in succeeding with his little plan. Doflamingo let the strings loosen ever so slightly from around Law's limbs, as though daring the younger man to try another escape attempt, "Did you really think you could hide what you were doing at Punk Hazard?"

Law shifted faintly as he spoke automatically, "It wasn't meant to be hidden for long. You would have found out either way, though I hadn't anticipated Vergo being there. I made do with the way things turned out." Law didn't bother to try and get away, despite the fact that the invisible string was not overly restricting his movement. With the way his luck was running, Doflamingo would probably cut off his airway this time around, and Law liked the idea of being able to remain conscious. He retained some semblance of control that way, even if he was currently immobilized.

Doflamingo leered unpleasantly at the Heart Pirate, "Too bad you didn't stick around on the island with those marines. I could have silenced you then and there and taken Caesar back without too much trouble." Doflamingo flexed his fingers, and tightened the string again, a little disappointed that Law hadn't tried to move, but at least that meant the kid understood that he shouldn't put up too much of a fight. It was debatable how Law would react the longer this conversation went on. "But now you're making me work harder to retrieve him."

Outwardly, Law was calm, but on the inside, his mind was racing. Doflamingo was here on this island, and Straw Hat's ship was still anchored nearby. Law had to wonder why the older man hadn't just raided it and plucked Caesar from his grasp. If Doflamingo went to the Thousand Sunny now, that would ruin the leverage that Law thought he had gained over him. Law was again grateful that he had managed to get to the opposite side of the island from where the Straw Hat Pirates were anchored. Law obviously wasn't going to be going anywhere any time soon, and with the way he was now, he wouldn't even be able to warn the Straw Hat Pirates of Doflamingo's presence. Law needed to try and delay Doflamingo right now. Law wouldn't allow the blond to ruin his plan, as it was vital that he traded Caesar to Doflamingo on his terms, and create a diversion that would hold the blond's attention, and allow the Straw Hats to destroy the factory.

As Law puzzled over what to do, while at the same time ignoring the restrictiveness of the invisible strings, a sudden thought occurred to him. The island they were on. Perhaps there wasn't anything wrong with it after all. Maybe all the bad vibes and nervousness he had been feeling throughout the day had been because Doflamingo was around. It would explain a lot, and also account for the fact that Law had been positive that he had heard someone laughing.

"You were watching me earlier." Law mused aloud, since he couldn't think of anything else to say, as he was still wracking his mind for a way out of this. He was pretty sure that Doflamingo would want to retaliate for him daring to interfere with his plans, but Law wasn't quite sure what the other would choose to do. If Doflamingo had wanted him dead, he would have done so already, especially after recapturing him on the beach. Doflamingo could have easily caused much more damage than a gash to the hand. That alone made Law wary, and he wondered if the only reason he was still alive and not badly wounded was because Doflamingo wanted answers first. It didn't make Law feel very inclined to tell the other man anything if that was the case.

Moonlight reflected off of Doflamingo's tinted glasses as he smiled widely again. Law was as serious as ever and acting as though he weren't in as much trouble as he was. Why else would he change the subject out of the blue? "I'm rather surprised that you didn't sense me. I thought for sure that you would have investigated, instead of just passing it off as an animal following you around. Those trees weren't exactly easy to move through silently." Doflamingo laughed when he saw the irritated look tossed his way as he continued, "What? Would you have reacted if I had dropped down out of the tree and attacked you?"

Despite the perilous position he was in, Law couldn't help but laugh a little in return, "If you had dropped at that angle, I would have been able to try for your heart. If I succeeded, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. Though Kaido wouldn't have the pleasure of crushing you, if I managed to take you down first." Law's jaw snapped shut as he realized how very foolish of him it was to antagonize Doflamingo right now. He was helpless do to anything about it should the other man choose to take offense with his snappy retorts. Blindly, the Heart Pirate acted, trying to make a room, only to wince when Doflamingo intercepted his action by making a sharp hand gesture. The invisible string tightened to an almost excruciating pressure, and caused Law to lose his concentration. Stupid. Very, very stupid. Straw Hat and the others must have rubbed off on him after all with all of their reckless risk taking. Law was just asking for trouble trying to flee, when Doflamingo had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to be until he got some answers.

"You sure have a lot of nerve, Law. I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you. I was serious about the gun." Doflamingo flicked a finger up, and forced Law's left arm into the air, making the hand stretch. "For now, this will do." Doflamingo pointed with his other hand, smirking as Law's eyes widened a little at what he was planning to do. "Bullet String!"

White hot pain lanced through Law's mind as he fought down the urge to scream as the string pierced his palm, nicking tendons as it passed through. Out of pure instinct, as the arm was lowered, Law tried to make a room, his hand shaking with effort as he tried to form the concentration and energy, only to have Doflamingo slash a string sharply across the back of his hand to deter him. Law let out a gasping wheeze, hand shaking from the new wounds.

Doflamingo continued to speak as he ignored Law taking in sharp gasps of air. "You wouldn't have gotten close to ripping my heart out with your powers. Besides, you not noticing me made it all the more interesting. Seeing you and Straw Hat and that other upstart fighting amongst yourselves like children was quite amusing. That's why a brat like you shouldn't go around trying to call the shots like an adult." Doflamingo lost his smile momentarily as he scowled at the tethered Heart Pirate, and demanded in a more serious tone, "Why are you doing this, Law?"

Silence followed, and since that wasn't the kind of response he had wanted, Doflamingo bent a finger. One of the strings pulled tightly, forcing the Heart Pirate's left arm behind his back at a painful angle. "I respect you to an extent, Law, but the attitude you've developed over the years is becoming quite a problem.  Especially after you vanished all those years ago." Doflamingo increased the restrictive constriction of the string around the other's arm further by jabbing a finger to the side, "And you already know just how much I dislike having problems to deal with."

Law set his jaw as a dull, throbbing ache settled in. Despite the agony of his wounded hand and his arm shaking a little from the effort of being held by the string, the Heart Pirate refused to allow himself to cave in. Doflamingo would have to be a lot more brutal if he wanted to break him. Tearing into his hand with the string had been playing dirty, but Law felt that he could hold out for a fairly long time, and be able to keep quiet about the vital parts of his plans. Doflamingo would probably end up injuring him too much after some time had passed, and at that point, Law was more likely to pass out from the pain than to tell Doflamingo anything.

Law could feel the blond's gaze settling on him, and the Heart Pirate let out a slow sigh as he tried to come up with a course of action. His options were rapidly dwindling, as Law was certain that Doflamingo would be quite happy to torment him until he broke down and told him what he wanted to know, or just kill him, if getting Law to spill the beans was too much of an effort to bother with for long. Law, spotting that Doflamingo was growing impatient, played the only remaining card he had. The chance was slim, but he was going to take that gamble, and see what happened.

Impatient and a little peeved that Law was daring to play games with him, Doflamingo jabbed a finger at Law, another string making itself known to the Heart Pirate as it wrapped around his throat and squeezed, drawing forth a little blood. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, Law, thanks to you and your demand that I resign as one of the seven warlords. Now I have all kinds of things to take care of in Dressrosa because of it."

"Those little inconveniences will be nothing compared to what will follow." Law squeezed his eyes shut as Doflamingo manipulated two of the strings, both of which pulled hard at his arm and throat. The pain was bearable for the time being, and Law struggled to clear his thoughts and just what he would do now. He had to speak before Doflamingo cut him off, and derailed his train of thought. Law opened his eyes and glared defiantly at Doflamingo, "There will be nothing you can do when Kaido comes calling." Law saw creases across the other's forehead, and knew, even though he couldn't see the other's eyes from behind the tinted glasses, that he was being given an undoubtedly malevolent glare. Noticing Doflamingo's fingers twitch, and aware of the sensation of all the strings pinioning him flexing, Law finished quickly, "Straw Hat-ya will be wondering where I've gotten to if I don't go back soon. It would be strategically unwise for you to start something away from Dressrosa."

"Unwise for which one of us? Because it would be far more convenient for me to have Caesar back sooner rather than later, before you can play any more of your little games." Doflamingo offered a nasty smile, lifting his hand and twisting a few fingers, which caused the invisible string around Law's throat to constrict. Doflamingo pushed away from the tree and approached the Heart Pirate at a laid back jaunt, content to let the little bastard suffer from oxygen deprivation for a bit. Acting as if Law was a child that had said something funny, Doflamingo loomed over him as he stared down at Law haughtily, "Did you think you could get away with this? Did you believe that you would be able to have me follow your terms exactly according to whatever plan you have in that mind of yours?"

After a few moments, Doflamingo lowered a finger on his hand, and the string around Law's throat loosened slightly to allow him to breathe. While Law coughed and gasped for air, Doflamingo focused on another string, and tightened it around Law's other arm, pulling that limb behind his back to join the left in the same painful angle. Hearing Law biting back gasps at his arms being pulled up and back in the unnatural direction, Doflamingo reached forward with his free hand and seized Law's chin, wrenching the other's head up as his voice sounded in a dangerous hiss, "If you somehow thought you and the Straw Hats would be able to run freely around Dressrosa and have your way, you're mistaken."

Law bit back a groan of discomfort at the painful angle his head was being held, before he gave Doflamingo a look of pure loathing. Law barely noticed the string digging into his wrists to add to the agony rising from the arms held behind his back. It didn't help that his wounded left hand was still causing him to lose quite a bit of blood. Still, Law refused to say anything to Doflamingo, though the Heart Pirate did bite the inside of his lip as the blond tilted his head back just a tad bit further. Law considered jerking his head away, but chased the notion away just as quickly, not wanting to find out what would happen.

Doflamingo, satisfied that he had Law's attention, however unwillingly, spoke casually, "I was going to have Vergo kill you back on Punk Hazard, when I first found out about your little endeavor there. Since then, I've had some time to think about it, especially after your calls. And after watching you and the others on this island, I've thought of a better idea than what I'd been planning before." Doflamingo smirked, "I've decided that I'll give you a chance to make things up to me, by bringing me Caesar now…" The smile stretched, "…and taking care of Straw Hat Luffy while you're at it.

Doflamingo chuckled at the faint flash of surprise that crossed Law's face, as if the Heart Pirate hadn't expected him to say something like that. Doflamingo's expression turned into a no nonsense look, and he titled Law's chin just a little higher, wanting to make sure that he got his point across, "If you try anything funny, I'll be quite happy to go locate your ship and your crew and annihilate them. I will do everything in my power to make any little thing you cared about vanish before your eyes. I'll make you suffer before I will even consider killing you." Doflamingo smiled cruelly, "Maybe I'll even make you beg for it." Doflamingo noted the closed expression that had appeared on Law's face, and added, "I doubt you would have left your crew too far away, and you know that I can easily find out where they are, with my connections. There would be nothing you could do to stop me, and all you would be able to do is read the news in the paper. That is, if you don't do exactly as I say."

Doflamingo hunched over as he brought his face within inches of Law's as he grit out his next words, "I've worked too hard for what I have in Dressrosa for a brat like you to come in acting like a big shot and making it collapse all around me. If that ultimately ends up happening, with or without the Straw Hat's help, you will regret that you'd ever been born by the time I'm through with you." Doflamingo noted that Law had flicked his gaze from his, "Perhaps after taking everything from you and beating you down, killing you wouldn't interest me as much." Seeing that Law was still avoiding eye contact despite their close proximity, Doflamingo delivered the final threat with malicious glee, knowing what reaction he would receive, "Instead of allowing you that luxury, I'll have you work for me again. After all, I'm sure you've heard that the heart seat was still open to you, right? I'd enjoy seeing you fall into despair as you carry out my orders, whether you want to or not."

Doflamingo heard a sharp intake a breath, and saw a faint widening of the other's eyes, and knew that he'd gotten through to the other man. Doflamingo released Law's chin, and backed away a foot or so, "Am I clear, Law? Do you understand?" Doflamingo bent his fingers, strengthening the strings' hold on the Heart Pirate.

Law winced as all the strings that were holding his body taut dug into his clothing and exposed skin with brutal precision, except for the string that had been around his throat. Law hung his head, hating the other man as he heard Doflamingo laugh overhead at him. Law would rather die than even consider working for Doflamingo again, after what he'd done in the past. Law didn't doubt that Doflamingo would make good on his promise, so for the time being, as much as it twisted his gut and made him feel disgusted with himself, Law would do as the other said. At least until he settled on another course of action.

Since Doflamingo wasn't likely to give him much time to think, Law knew what he would have to do right now. The Heart Pirate knew that Doflamingo had already made his mind up, and agreeing with the blond now was only going to delay the inevitable. Law clenched his uninjured fist behind his back, a bit ashamed at what he was about to do, even if it was necessary to buy himself some time to think without Doflamingo nearby. With a sigh, Law let his entire body go limp in a submissive gesture, not even bothering to fight. There would be another time for that.

"Law?"

The Heart Pirate captain spoke softly, his words bitter, "I understand." Law winced as he was suddenly released from the invisible string, the support from the other's Devil Fruit powers vanishing more quickly than he had thought it would. The Heart Pirate had no time to react, so he stumbled clumsily before he collapsed to the sandy ground. Law held perfectly still as Doflamingo spoke overhead.

"I'll give you until tomorrow night to bring Caesar to that cave in the center of this island, and to take care of Straw Hat. I don't care if you toss him into the sea and let him drown, or in some other manner, provided you take care of it here on this island." Doflamingo stared down at the prone Heart Pirate, before turning on his heels and heading for the forest, laughing lowly, "Fufufufu. See you tomorrow, Law."

Law didn't know how long he lay there, but it was some time before he moved, long after Doflamingo had left him behind on the beach with the mocking laugh. Law clenched his uninjured fist again as he retrieved his sheathed blade that had dropped to the sand nearby. Law hoped no one would notice the scratches he'd been given, as he tugged his sleeves down over his wrists where lines had appeared from the tight hold of the strings. The wounds on his left hand, however, would need tending to, as there was no way to pass it off as an animal attack.

Law dug around in one of his pockets and withdrew some gauze, thinking he could hide the injury until he got back on the ship to treat it. There was no way around it. He would have to ask Chopper to assist him, and he could only hope the little reindeer would keep his mouth shut. Law wiped away the blood from his neck as he stared down at his hand silently, sickened when he noticed that Doflamingo had slashed the tattoo on the back of his hand diagonally, making it resemble the blond's symbol faintly. At least it hadn't been across his back. Law studied the wound and hoped the lacerations weren't too deep, but from the throbbing ache rising from the limb, and the fact that he had trouble moving his fingers without a wash of agony hitting him, it was wishful thinking. It would more than likely scar. Law gritted his teeth. Doflamingo was a sick son of a bitch.

The dark haired Heart Pirate tied off the gaze clumsily with his unscathed hand, and with even a brief glance knew that the gauze wasn't enough to hide the fact that he'd been injured, as the blood was likely to seep through before too long. Law could only hope he would be able to avoid mentioning the blond altogether. Law needed to come up with a plan, and quickly, because Doflamingo hadn't given him much time.


End file.
